New Zealand’s cruise sector believes the worst of its post-Covid downturn may be over and has charted a course back to growth within the next two seasons. The industry is still recovering after the pandemic effectively shut cruise operations down for two years. Great South destination development manager Amie Young, who attended the annual Cruise New Zealand conference in Auckland last week, said the mood among delegates was one of cautious optimism. “New Zealand is a really strong destination of choice for travellers.” The recovery had been slowed by the long lead times involved in cruise scheduling, with itineraries often planned years ahead in advance, she said. Southland occupied a unique position in the market, with Fiordland regarded as the country’s premier cruise destination. “Fiordland is a major draw card and one of the main reasons cruise passengers want to come to New Zealand in general. “It’s a bit of a jewel in the crown of our cruise market.” It was important to attract the right size ships to the right destinations, Ms Young said. Southland’s smaller ports were particularly well suited to boutique vessels, expedition-style cruises and nature-focused travellers. “Those visitors are interested in the outdoors and the environment and things that we have a really strong story link to.” While ship numbers for the current season were expected to remain relatively flat, there was strong confidence growth would return in the following seasons. “There’s a lot of really strong positivity across the sector now about where we’re heading and the future of cruise industry.” The industry remained highly competitive and required long booking windows and regulatory certainty. The conference also highlighted the importance of transtasman co-operation, with many cruise itineraries including both Australia and New Zealand. “The stronger we are together, it’s good for both countries.” toni.mcdonald@alliedmedia.co.nz
