The Minister for Infrastructure, David O’Byrne, and the Minister for Tourism, Scott Bacon, today welcomed the inaugural passengers and crew aboard the Sea Princess through the new $7 million locally built terminal.
Mr O’Byrne said the terminal provided a magnificent first impression for the cruise ship travellers, offering them the resources they need to start exploring and supporting our tourism operators and local economy.
“The look of excitement on the faces of the around 2,000 international travellers today is a tribute to the investment that has seen a disused storage shed transformed into a world-class venue.
“This new facility will stand us in great stead when it comes to securing more cruise ship visits for the state, and ensuring our passengers have an exceptional Tasmanian tourism experience while they’re here.
“It is no coincidence that 2013-14 is shaping up as the strongest ever cruise season for the state with 64 port visits, just like today, already scheduled.
“Tourism is identified as a key growth industry in our Economic Development Plan, which helps unlock new markets and creates the jobs of tomorrow, and this new terminal gives us the capacity and world-class facilities to meet that growth.
“Along with Tasmania’s broader economy, we’re transforming this waterfront into something modern and dynamic – a place that attracts people to live, work and play.”
Mr Bacon said that cruise tourism generally has been growing throughout the world, including in Tasmania.
“Tasmania’s strong satisfaction rating among passengers bodes well in terms of attracting future cruise ship visits to the state.
“Not only is the millions of dollars the passengers and crew inject into our local economy important, but the passengers also get to sample our island lifestyle, experience a little of what we have to offer and hopefully return for more.
“We’re expecting to see more than 100,000 passengers and crew visit the state experiencing what Tasmania has to offer and investing in our local economy.
“Last season’s research, conducted by Tourism Tasmania, found that almost half of all passengers rated their Tasmanian visit as excellent and 86 per cent said their Tasmanian visit was a positive experience.
“The research showed that around 44 per cent of cruise ship passengers undertook an organised tour while they were here and that dining at local restaurants/cafes and retail/art/craft shopping continue to be popular activities.
“Not only do we see many of them planning to come back, but they also go home as advocates, spreading the word about Tasmania among their friends, family members and work colleagues.”
Ann Sherry, CEO of Carnival Australia, responsible for around 80 per cent of Australian cruise passengers, said the new terminal made Hobart an even more desirable cruising destination.
“Cruising is the fastest growing sector of Australian tourism and we’re delighted that our ships and passengers have a new terminal to visit in Hobart.
“The new terminal represents a new gateway for the tens of thousands of local and international cruise passengers visiting Hobart this cruise season and is an impressive first impression for the city.”
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