Published on Wednesday, 17 May 2023 at 12:13:47 PM
Picture Caption: Cruise ship volunteers were thanked at a morning tea.
More than 11,000 people have visited Geraldton in what has been one of the Midwest’s biggest cruise ship seasons to date!
A total of 11 visits to Geraldton were made by seven cruise ships in the 2022/23 season injecting millions into the local economy.
The cruise ship calendar and associated activities are a joint collaboration with the City of Greater Geraldton and Mid West Ports Authority.
Local community organisation Euphorium were also contracted to coordinate and manage elements including the welcome hub which includes hop-on hop-off buses, local stallholders and musicians, which is all aimed to entices visitors to come back and explore in the future.
Euphorium also manage the cruise ship volunteers and engage with stakeholders to coordinate cruise ship information.
After a very successful season, Mayor Shane Van Styn said it was great to see cruise ships make a big return after a hiatus.
“I’s great to see the cruise industry well and truly back after a long time away due to COVID-19,” he said.
“We love that Geraldton continues to be a top cruise destination in the state, and we have worked hard to develop a successful model and will continue to work on this to ensure we can keep welcoming more cruise ships in the future.
“It goes without saying our cruise season would not be what it is without the leadership and support of Mid West Ports Authority, Euphorium and all of the valued stakeholders involved in making Geraldton accessible to cruise ships and a place people want to explore.
“And we cannot go past the unwavering dedication of our 27 cruise ship volunteers whose ongoing commitment to welcoming thousands of visitors to our shores has had a huge impact on our success.”
More than $3.3million was injected into the local economy from the 11,240 passengers and crew members from the various cruise ships.
Out of the seven cruise ships, four of them made their inaugural visits to Geraldton which included the Noordam, AIDAmar, Coral Princess and Caledonian Sky.
Mid West Ports Authority CEO Damian Tully said they are proud of the vibrant return of cruise to the community.
“Cruise season brings with it an immense sense of excitement and opportunity, we look forward to welcoming more cruise ships back to Geraldton next season and seeing the sector grow in years to come,” he said.
The 2023/24 cruise season is already primed to be another bumper one, with eight cruise ships already locked in to visit Geraldton – with more to be confirmed.
To view the upcoming visits, head to visitgeraldton.com.au and the “cruising Geraldton” page.
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