In 2018 a total of 55 cruise ships are expected to visit Darwin carrying an estimated 60,000 passengers, consistent with the state’s 2017 performance.                            

“Darwin is also a hub for the expedition sector with 34 arrivals as these vessel are active on the Northern Australian and Kimberly coastline,” said Tony Clementson from the department of tourism and culture manager for destination development.      

“It is anticipated that there will be stronger consideration of northern Australian itineraries that will include international destinations of Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, Indonesia and Singapore. Darwin is well placed to be a hub as it is a gateway destination in to and out of Australia,” added Clementson.

Darwin is also seeing a booming expedition market as Coral Expeditions and Ponant are both upping capacity in Australia with new vessels with lots of interesting, off-the-beaten-path tendering opportunities in the Northern Territory.

With a tropical climate, Darwin offers year-round cruise potential, although most big ships visit during the season from October through March.

“Long term we identify that Darwin and its proximity to Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, Malaysia and Singapore will present as an attractive hub for year-round cruise opportunity,” added Clementson.