Wellington is expecting 80 cruise ship visits from this month until April next year, bringing 230,000 visitors.
Around a quarter of the cruise passengers visiting Wellington are expected to return within a year, said David Perks, venues, marketing and destination manager, Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency.
Perks said three ships will visit the capital city for the first time this season—Norwegian Jewel, Viking Sun and Asuka II.
Wellington port operator CentrePort said ship visits will be up 12% this season on last summer.
‘We’ll be working closely with other stakeholders to ensure our cruise visitors have a great experience of Wellington,’ CentrePort chief executive Derek Nind said.
‘Free shuttle buses for passengers will be running between the port and central Wellington and we’ve installed facilities for visitors to temporarily replace those damaged by last year’s earthquake,’ Nind said.
Kevin O’Sullivan, executive officer of the New Zealand Cruise Association, said CentrePort’s response to last year’s earthquake showed it recognised the importance of cruise visits to the region.
‘CentrePort didn’t miss an operational beat following last year’s earthquake, accepting its next cruise ship call days after the event,' O’Sullivan said.
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