THE Australian Cruise Association’s (ACA) restart roadshow, in conjunction with Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), has kicked off in Queensland this week. Supported by Tourism Australia, ACA and CLIA will hold a series of half-day workshops in key cities around the country. The sessions are designed to help the tourism...
THE Australian Cruise Association’s (ACA) restart roadshow, in conjunction with Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), has kicked off in Queensland this week.
Supported by Tourism Australia, ACA and CLIA will hold a series of half-day workshops in key cities around the country.
The sessions are designed to help the tourism industry prepare for the arrival of cruise ships, crews, and passengers.
Representatives from state and regional tourism authorities, ports, and cruise line will present at each of the workshops, and will be on hand to take questions from local industry reps.
Following its kick-off in Cairns (pictured) this week, the roadshow will continue to Townsville, Airlie Beach, Gladstone and Brisbane.
Sessions will roll out in other states and territories as borders reopen and positive discussions continue with state governments.
“With positive commentary coming from federal and state governments around welcoming cruise ships back to Australia, we believe it is the right time to hold these discussions with industry to start building a planning framework to support a successful resumption,” said ACA Chief Executive Officer Jill Abel.
“We are fortunate to have successful models to draw from with regard to the strict health protocols being followed internationally given around 70% of the CLIA fleet is now operating in 82 countries, which translates to approximately 2,500 sailings since Jul 2020, carrying almost 4 million passengers.
“The past two years have been a huge challenge for the cruise industry which pre-pandemic contributed around 18,000 jobs and over $5b to the economy.”
Abel noted once the green light has been given by government for a restart, it will still be at least 60-90 days before cruise ships begin arriving back into local waters.
“It is our hope that these workshops will play a critical role in helping operators plan for an effective restart,” she added.
More from ACA on page 5.
