Princess Cruises announced that the Sun Princess will homeport in Fremantle for the 2019-2020 cruise season for a record 141 days.
The announcement follows the Government’s commitments to improvements and upgrades at Fremantle, Broome and Geraldton ports, the company said.
“I’m delighted to announce this significant investment to Western Australia, doubling our capacity in this great state by one hundred percent over the 2019-2020 season.” said Senior Vice President Princess Cruises Asia Pacific, Stuart Allison.
“The economic impact of our investment will not only be felt in Fremantle and Perth, but regional areas like Albany, Busselton, Broome and Geraldton which are also set to greatly benefit financially from some of Princess’ 28 cruise ship visits. We will make 17 visits to WA regional ports over the 2019-2020 season, with each ship visit estimated to inject up to $500,000 into the economy as our guests explore the local area.”
The Sun Princess, which carries 2,000 guests, will also visit regional port destinations including Albany, Busselton, Geraldton and Broome.
The move represents the biggest investment any cruise brand has made in cruising in Western Australia, according to Princess.
The news will generate a one hundred percent increase in cruise ship guests sailing from WA compared with 2018/2019 season.
The Sun Princess’ homeported season will include 28 cruise ship visits, including 18 to regional port destinations in Western Australia.
“The State Government is thrilled with Princess Cruises’ decision to homeport the Sun Princess in Fremantle next year. When Carnival stopped homeporting in Western Australia because of some regional port issues, we acted swiftly to rectify the problems and committed to improvements at Geraldton, Broome and Fremantle ports,” said Premier Mark McGowan. “Princess Cruises has responded with the biggest investment a cruise brand has ever made in this State, which is a huge win for our State and will create a great boost for the WA economy and help create jobs.”
