The Azamara Journey anchored in Port of Esperance waters in February.
Another popular cruise season is just over a month away from kicking off, with visits set to be made to all three Southern Ports’ destinations over the seven-month season.
Southern Ports Chief Executive Officer Keith Wilks said there were six scheduled visits to Esperance between December and early May, that would collectively bring as many as 4,200 visitors to town.
Mr Wilks said each cruise season brought new visitors to experience our the for the first time.
“All the numbers suggest the cruise passenger demographic is getting younger, so these short visits are prime opportunities give people a taste of southern WA,” he said.
“We’re confident that once they get that taste they’ll be back to explore further and for longer the next time around, which is a great result for our communities.” – Kieth Wilks
The Port of Albany is preparing for 16 visits carrying more than 23,000 visitors to the Great Southern.
Artania will become the first cruise ship in several years capable of carrying more than 1,000 passengers to berth at the Port of Bunbury when it visits in April next year.
Mr Wilks said in 2022-23, the cruise tourism sector generated $333 million and more than 1,000 jobs for the WA economy.
