P&O Cruises Australia’s Pacific Eden has made history, becoming the first cruise ship ever to be based in Cairns in the state of Queensland, the company said in a statement.
“The 1500 guest ship, which set sail on her first roundtrip cruise from the city on Saturday (Sept 10), will call Cairns home until November 11, carrying an estimated 13,000 holidaymakers on nine cruises from the city, including to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands,” the company said.
The inaugural season is expected to deliver more than AUD6 million to the State’s economy in passenger and crew spending, provedoring and associated port charges.
According to industry figures, Queensland is the second biggest source market for Australian cruisers with more than 280,000 Queenslanders cruising in 2015. Queensland is also home to more cruise destinations than any other state in Australia, with P&O ships now sailing to 11 destinations along its coast. In addition to launching Cairns as a new homeport, the cruise line has opened up a range of new Queensland ports in recent years including Gladstone and Fraser Island earlier this year.
With an estimated 40% of guests travelling from interstate to join the Cairns’ cruises, the two-month cruise season will provide a boost to local accommodation and travel operators, restaurants and cafes. According to industry figures, domestic cruisers spend an average AUD483 a day on accommodation, shopping, dining and transport before boarding a ship in an Australian port, said P&O Cruises Australia, which is part of the Carnival Corporation & plc group.
