Cruise ship season expected to boost economy by $250m

Princess Cruises’ mega-liner Diamond Princess.

Auckland's bumper cruise ship season kicked off last week with the arrival of Princess Cruises' mega-liner Diamond Princess.

About a quarter of a million cruise ship passengers are expected to visit Auckland this season, a third more than last season. Cruise ship activity is forecast to earn Auckland's economy $250 million this season, and contribute up to $540 million to the national economy.

Auckland receives significant economic return from the provisioning and refuelling of cruise ships, as well as money spent by crew and passengers during exchanges and stops in Auckland.

Mayor Len Brown says cruise ship visits into Auckland have more than doubled in the past 10 years.

"It's great to see the cruise sector thriving, and that this is set to continue in the coming seasons with even more ships and passengers," he says.
Auckland's cruise ships: quick facts

Cruise ships are expected to bring $250 million to Auckland's economy this season.
GDP returns from cruise ships are increasing: last season, cruise ships were worth $190 million to the Auckland economy, up almost a fifth on the previous season.
30 cruise ships will visit Auckland in the next eight months.
Cruise ships are the third-biggest market for the tourism industry.
Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas will become the largest ship ever to dock in New Zealand when it arrives in Auckland in December 2016
The 116,000-tonne Diamond Princess arrived in Auckland harbour on 8 October, bringing 2670 guests who spent a day exploring Auckland.