- Economic impact of cruising reaches $385 million in 2023-24
- Sector supports more than 1,200 local jobs amid 290 cruise ship calls over past season
- 2024-25 cruise season expected to bring 200,000 passengers to Western Australia
The cruise sector in Western Australia has hit a new high with fresh figures revealing the industry generated a record $385 million for the WA economy over 2023-24.
New data from the Australian Cruise Association reveals the national cruise industry broke records during the 2023-24 season, spurred on by a post-COVID-19 peak in cruise tourism.
WA welcomed 290 small and large cruise ship visits over the period with Broome and Fremantle the most popular ports, while the overall cruise sector supported 1,211 local jobs.
Looking ahead, the cruise sector is expected to normalise with more than 140 cruise ship visits expected at seven of WA's ports in 2024-25, bringing in around 200,000 guests and crew.
Fremantle's next big ship arrival is scheduled for Tuesday, 5 November, when Cunard's Queen Elizabeth arrives in the port city with more than 2,000 passengers on board.
Princess Cruises' Crown Princess will also make its maiden call to Fremantle next month, docking at the port city on Wednesday, 6 November, followed by two more visits in May and June, bringing over 3,000 guests to WA's shores each time.
In total, Fremantle Port will welcome eight maiden vessels to port in the 2024-25 cruise season.
The Kimberley will continue to hold its title as a 'bucket list' cruise destination, with the Port of Broome expected to host 68 cruise calls in 2024-25, while several expedition cruises are slated to head south over the coming season following successful visits to the North West.
The WA Government continues to focus on growth in the State's cruise sector, through theWestern Australian Cruise Tourism Strategic Plan 2023-2033.
Around $1.8 million in funding will be spent delivering the strategic plan over the next four years and building cruise line engagement, with an additional $35.5 million committed to improve infrastructure at Fremantle Passenger Terminal.
Bolstering WA's profile is the recent announcement that Fremantle was selected to host the 2025 Australian Cruise Association Conference, bringingover 150 ofAustralia's top industry representatives together to discuss port opportunities.
Find out more at www.australiancruiseassociation.com .
As stated by Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti:
"Western Australia's cruise tourism industry has gone from strength-to-strength post pandemic, with visitors clearly recognising the incredible and unique experiences our State has to offer both on and offshore.
"Cruise tourism and tourism in general forms an important part of our Government's efforts to diversify our economy and support local jobs, and these numbers for 2023-24 clearly highlight the value of investing in our cruise sector.
"We will continue to work with industry to bring more ships to our shores through opportunities like the Australian Cruise Association Conference and other targeted engagement, while also investing in infrastructure right across the State to enhance visitor experience."
