Southern Ports puts regional WA on show during big cruise season

Another popular cruise season is just over a month away from kicking off, with visits set to be made to all three Southern Ports’ destinations over the seven-month season.

Southern Ports Chief Executive Officer Keith Wilks said each cruise season brings new visitors to experience our regions for the first time.

“All the numbers suggest the cruise passenger demographic is getting younger, so these short visits are prime opportunities give people a taste of southern WA,” said Mr Wilks.

“We’re confident that once they get that taste they’ll be back to explore further and for longer the next time around, which is a great result for our communities.”

As one of the WA’s premier cruise destinations, the Port of Albany is preparing for 16 visits carrying more than 23,000 visitors to the Great Southern.

The list of visiting vessels in the 2024-25 season at Albany includes the MSC Magnifica for the first time, and two visits by the Crown Princess.

Both vessels have a capacity of more than 3,500 passengers, while other large ships set to berth include the Queen Elizabeth, Westerdam and Bolette.

“A number of ships visiting Albany will do so for first time this season, which shows more agencies are trying to fit visits to the Great Southern into their itineraries,” said Mr Wilks.

“Cruise-goers are always thrilled to visit a community so rich in history, natural beauty and world-class attractions – Albany ticks all of those boxes.”

Artania will become the first cruise ship in several years capable of carrying more than 1,000 passengers to berth at the Port of Bunbury when it visits in April next year.

“It’s great that Bunbury is making a return on the itinerary list for larger cruises because there is plenty to see and do in the City,” said Mr Wilks.

“Earlier this year we had a visit from the Seabourn Sojourn in Bunbury, but Artania is on a different scale in terms of bringing visitors to the South West. They’ll have access to some really great day trips in the region and be able to experience a magnificent part of the world.”

Bunbury will also be visited by the Coral Adventurer anchoring offshore next month.

There are also six scheduled visits to Esperance between December and early May, that will collectively bring as many as 4,200 visitors to town.

In 2022-23 the cruise tourism sector generated $333 million and more than 1,000 jobs for the WA economy.