Cruise ship spending hits $434 million

Thursday, 16 August 2018

Cruise ship spending hit $434 million last season, thanks to an increase in passengers and more winter cruises to the Pacific.

According to Statistics NZ, total cruise spending for the year to June rose 18 per cent, following a slight decrease last year.

Passenger and crew spending ashore, including excursions and overland trips, was up by a third to $284m. 

Ship spending on provisions, bunkering, and shipping agents fell slightly, but Government coffers still did very nicely out of the cruise industry, via a GST take of $43m.

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Despite disruptions by cyclones Fehi and Gita in February, cruise ships made 700 port visits, up from the previous year, 

Passenger numbers increased by 38,000, driven largely by a rise in New Zealanders and Americans taking to the water for their holidays. 

But Australians still dominated, making up 44 per cent of the 259,500 passengers.

Four out of five spent time in Auckland, about two thirds visited Fiordland, Dunedin and Wellington, and roughly half visited Tauranga and Canterbury (mostly Akaroa). 

Akaroa has struggled under the influx of cruise ship visitors and had been gearing up for a record season pending completion of Lyttelton Port's new cruise berth, but Akaroa passenger numbers actually fell almost 18,000.

However, those that came opened their wallets wider, lifting spending by $2m to $34.7m.

In terms of age and gender, the make-up of passengers cruising New Zealand waters remained pretty much the same as last season. 

Three quarters were 50-plus and there were 120 female passengers for every 100 men.