Cruise plan opposed
PLANS for a new cruise terminal at Sydney’s Port Botany have met with a stormy reception from local political leaders, who have vowed to fight development at the NSW Government’s preferred sites at Yarra Bay and Molineaux Point.
The locations were named in the government’s recently released Cruise Development Plan, however the area’s Randwick Council has voted to oppose any new docking facilities and local Labor MP Matt Thistlethwaite has launched a petition calling for the plan to be halted.
“Our community has made it clear to us that they do not want this terminal built in Port Botany,” said Randwick Mayor Lindsay Shurey. “It’s vital that we protect the beaches, green spaces and open areas at Yarra Bay.”
Carnival ready for record Aussie season
CARNIVAL Australia has announced it expects to generate $500 million in economic activity during the peak cruise season which officially commenced last month.
The cruise line plans to make a record 696 calls across 38 ports.
“In 2008-09, our ships made fewer than 200 calls to local ports over the cruise season…that number has more than tripled over the past decade,” said Carnival Australia president Sture Myrmell.
The local season will include a number of inaugural visits such as Carnival Australia’s debut in Batemans Bay, as well as Seabourn Sojourn’s trip to Flinders Island in December.
Norwegian steps up Australian presence
Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is preparing to boost its profile in the Australian market.
In Sydney for the recent Cruise360 conference, NCL president and CEO Andy Stuart announced plans for the line’s first television advertising campaign in Australia, scheduled to begin this month.
Aiming to challenge the line’s larger rivals, the campaign will convey the “freedom and flexibility” of the NCL brand, Stuart said.
The advertising “should drive a lot of business through travel agents,” he said, and would air nationally.
Stuart said Norwegian had doubled its sales in the Australian market since opening a dedicated Australian office three years ago and was aiming to double bookings again in the near future.
