WITH Joel Katz, MD CLIA Australasia – CLIA released our latest report
on the economic contribution of
cruise to the Australian Economy
last week.
This reveals an industry that
generates significant national and
regional economic activity, from
supporting thousands of jobs to
the economic benefits that flow
to businesses and communities
far beyond the ships and ports,
including local supplies such as
Australian meat, dairy, wine and
fresh fruit and vegetables.
The findings provide compelling
evidence of the value of the cruise
industry & how crucial its continued
growth is to the economy.
With a record number of cruise
ships visiting Australian ports, the
value of the cruise industry to the
Australian economy has surged by
15.4% to reach $5.3b
Sydney is Australia’s cruise
gateway, and there has been much
speculation in the media this week
regarding the progress of the NSW
Government’s cruise plan to resolve
Sydney’s capacity constraints, and
pre-empting some of the options
under discussion.
The industry is encouraged that
the government is now focussed
on the issue of providing urgently
needed berthing capacity east of
the harbour bridge.
CLIA and our cruise line members
are engaging closely with the
government to ensure that all
options for additional berths are
carefully evaluated, before any
solutions are presented.
The continued growth of our
industry is too important to be sidetracked
by speculation.
