Let’s catch up on some cruise news which, like flowers and showers, is almost the same at this time of year…or to steal a line from an old, old movie: “It Happens Every Spring.”
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The Aussie cruising market comes to an end, at least for ships stationed there for our winter (their summer) — and the Alaska market gets ready to launch its season. While Alaska has seen some decrease due to the loss of ships to Europe, Australia is having none of that.
In 2009, Australia’s passenger count was 466,000 and, in 2010, it’s up 27%. That is a huge increase and, yes, most of the market is organic. The 2010 numbers reflected the increasing appetite of Australians for cruising, a taste that was boosted by the stronger dollar and an increase in the number of visiting cruise ships, council chairman Gavin Smith said.
“Australians now have a record number of ships sailing from our shores throughout the year, and clearly this is enticing more people to try a holiday at sea,” Mr. Smith said.
Over the past eight years, Australian cruise numbers swelled by 306%, from a base of 116,308 in 2002, achieving an average annual growth rate of 19%. With the major cruise lines adding ships to its Down Under fleet this winter, you can count on double-digit growth for the next few years.
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I had a question the other day: Is Sitka, Alaska (above) getting a new dock? The answer is yes. Sitka’s new dock will be ready in May. Previously, tendering was the only option for this Alaska city, which receives about 150,000 passengers, many on smaller inter-Alaska ships. The dock is almost 500 feet long and will rise and fall with the port’s large tide movement.
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From “over there”…the ports of Dover and Harwich in England get very little play compared to the big one in Southampton.
Dover, however, is making in an impact — thanks to a few cruise lines, including Holland America.
Next year, HAL plans to double its share of passengers using Dover. The 55,400 gross ton Ryndam (below) will operate 10 cruises from Dover in 2012, one more than this year. Who uses Holland America’s ship? British passengers only make up 25% of the market but officials expect the Brits to make up 50% of the passenger loads next year.
All for now.
For a different look at cruising, see cruisingdoneright.com, another daily blog by the Ports and Bows team
