How likely is a port upgrade?
An SMH news item on an Access Economics report on the cruise industry reveals that the cruise sector was the standout performer in the tourism market – good news for those of us who love to cruise, and who sell cruises. However it also included comments from Carnival Australia, Australia’s largest cruise shipping company, about the need for governments to commit to port upgrades. With the constant changes in the NSW government it is likely that this is very low on their list of priorities despite the fact that Sydney is an important destination. We recently posted a story on our website about the ‘Oasis of the Seas‘, the largest cruise liner afloat which needed a special port in the Caribbean to be built to accommodate her. There is no way she could fit into the current port facilities – and it seems that by 2020 only 15 per cent of cruise liners will be able to dock west of the harbour!
It will be sad if the many Sydneysiders who would like to cruise out of our harbour – and the many more visitors who would want to cruise into these waters are prevented by a lack of government planning and foresight. It will be even sadder if NSW misses out of the tourism dollars that go with cruise passengers.