Wellington Set for $32m Summer Cruise Injection
Cruise visitor numbers into Wellington are forecast to be almost five times that of five years ago this summer, with the season set to inject some $32m into the city’s economy. Over 190,000 passengers and crew are
forecast to visit Wellington on 83 ships in the 2011/12 season, compared to just under 33,000 pax on 28 ships in the 2006/07 season.
Positively Wellington Tourism chief executive David Perks says the NTO and CentrePort have put a lot of time and energy into servicing the cruise sector’s specialised needs and maximising the opportunities it offers. PWT will continue to facilitate shuttle services for cruise lines without their own services this season, while recent completion of the City Council’s $4 million Waterloo Quay upgrade – including a sheltered canopy, a widened footpath and pohutukawa trees – has enhanced the experience for visitors who opt to walk into the city.
New Zealand’s only dedicated cruise terminal has also had an external refurbishment incorporating a kowhai flower motif (above) and provides a fitting welcome to the coolest little capital in the world, says CentrePort chief
executive Blair O’Keeffe.
