Adelaide’s cruise industry is set to grow again in 2016, with P&O Cruises revealing it will operate its longest South Australian cruise season yet as a result of its fleet expansion.
The cruise line announced today that one of its latest ships – Pacific Eden – will sail on six cruises from Adelaide in March and April 2016 in a move expected to deliver around $5 million in economic benefits to the state.
The new cruise program builds on P&O Cruises’ two roundtrip cruises from Adelaide scheduled for next year and will give South Australia a bigger stake in Australia’s booming cruise industry.
P&O Cruises CEO Ann Sherry said the addition of the 1500-passenger Pacific Eden and Pacific Aria to the cruise line’s existing three-ship fleet meant it could offer a great range of itineraries from eight homeports around Australia.
“We’re thrilled that Adelaide is set to benefit from this growth and look forward to building South Australia’s cruise industry further,” Ms Sherry said.
Forming part of P&O Cruises’ new 2015-16 program, which offers 250 cruises, the South Australian season includes:
- Three four-night P&OSeaBreaks, with two visiting Port Lincoln and Melbourne
- Two three-night themed P&OSeaBreaks offering the perfect opportunity for first time cruisers to experience a cruise holiday
- A six-night Adelaide to Fremantle cruise visiting Kangaroo Island and Esperance.
Fares start from $649 per person quad share for a four-night P&OSeaBreak visiting Port Lincoln or Melbourne.
In total, Kangaroo Island and Port Lincoln are scheduled to receive 10 calls from Pacific Eden and other ships in the P&O Cruises’ fleet during 2015-16.
Pacific Eden’s turnaround calls to Adelaide are expected to inject up to $1 million each into the local economy in passenger and crew spending and port charges, while day visits to other South Australian ports could generate up to $500,000 each.
Ms Sherry said the cruise line was pleased that Adelaide would increasingly benefit from the long value chain of cruising as a result of P&O Cruises’ expansion.
“P&O Cruises’ expansion to become a five-ship fleet with the largest number of cruise ships homeported year round in Australia will help the industry achieve its goal of a million passengers a year in 2015, five years earlier than forecast,” Ms Sherry said.
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