Cruise bosses are calling for a more ‘co-ordinated’ approach to boost the $5.6 billion industry as the new season kicks off.

A total of 62 ships are heading to Australia for the cruising summer season, which lasts from October until March.

Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas
Voyager of the Seas will home port in Brisbane for the first time this season. (Supplied)

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Managing Director in Australasia Joel Katz said while the number of port calls ships would make in Australia would be up three per cent, action was needed.

Discussions on a third cruise port in Sydney have so far not resulted in any answers, while an increase in port taxes has seen some companies snub Melbourne.

Plus paperwork that allows foreign ships to sail in Australia has only been extended until December 31, 2026.

“We’re saying to the federal government, we need a core recognition of the value that cruise delivers to Australia,” Katz told 9News.

Cunard's Queen Anne
Cunard’s Queen Anne is heading to Australia early in 2025. (Christopher Ison)

“While the numbers have been really robust, we are seeing that future deployment announced for our region are flattening.

“We’ve always been an expensive operating region but we’re actually seeing costs increase quite dramatically.

“There doesn’t seem to be any kind of coordinated approach to dealing with cruise by government agencies, ports.

“So we’re seeing lots of different cost increases way beyond sort of CPI, which is very difficult for cruise lines to recoup when they’re last minute.”

“Cruise lines are planning their deployments when in advance, itineraries into 26/27 have already been confirmed and then they’re looking at well beyond that, but if they don’t know the conditions under which they’ll be able to operate it does make it an unappealing option.”

Fairstar

The cruise ships that started it all

The Australian dollar is also weak, which is having an impact.

However, Katz said the billions of dollars the industry generates for the nation was set to be a higher figure than ever this year.

9News has contacted the federal government for comment.

Watch every moment, every medal of the Paralympic Games Paris 2024 live and free on Channel 9, 9Gem and 9Now. Plus, every event streaming ad free, live and on demand with 4K on Stan Sport.
You May Also Like

Obama and Harris publicly rebuke Trump's second-term actions

Former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday…

Florida dog mom Kim Spencer pries open raging gator’s mouth to save her pooch: ‘We just got lucky’

A fearless Florida woman jumped on top of an alligator and pried…

Truth about this photograph of Virginia Roberts: Toxic split with husband and violence restraining order revealed, as family speak out and Virginia remains under medical supervision

Until the baffling events of this week, the most famous photograph of…

Barack Obama Confirms He's Still In Michelle's Dog House (Duh)

K2 images/Shutterstock Barack Obama’s…