Cruise market worth $140m to economy

The international cruise-ship industry was worth $140 million to the economy over the 2005-06 season.

Cruise-ship visits bought 66,870 passengers and 32,000 crew to New Zealand and the numbers are expected to be the same this season.

Passenger numbers would rise to 83,000 in 2007-08, Craig Harris of Auckland-based cruise line marketing group Cruise New Zealand said yesterday.

"The cruise market has grown by 100 per cent in the past five years, and is expected to continue on a growth path for the foreseeable future."

Harris said research showed that each passenger on a cruise ship to New Zealand generated about $2040 in value-added for the economy. The same research estimated that cruise expenditure generated 2130 full-time equivalent jobs during the 2005-06 season.

During that season, the Auckland region received $61.5m of total cruise industry direct expenditure, followed by Canterbury ($14 million), Otago ($13.1 million) and the Bay of Plenty ($10.7 million).

- NZPA