P&O Cruises Australia’s flagship Pacific Explorer arrived in Adelaide last week, heralding the start of the South Australian cruising season and the first of the company’s two local cruise seasons, according to a press release.
The double seasons will begin with three round-trip cruises from Adelaide, calling at Port Lincoln and Kangaroo Island, and the fourth cruise from Adelaide will end in Melbourne for a cruise season also including calls at South Australia, according to P&O Cruises.
“As the Pacific Explorer begins the first of two Adelaide seasons, we wish to thank Premier Peter Malinauskas and the South Australian Government for their strong support,” said Marguerite Fitzgerald, president, Carnival Australia and P&O Cruises Australia.
The second Adelaide season of the Pacific Explorer will begin on February 24 with the first of seven round-trip cruises, including a trip to New Zealand. The eighth Adelaide cruise arrives in Fremantle after stops in Albany and Busselton, the gateway to the Margaret River wine region.
“These are exciting times for cruise tourism in Australia as we continue to rebuild the $5 billion a year cruise industry. We are delighted that South Australia can play a growing part in the revival of the sector and that Pacific Explorer is based here, allowing South Australians to cruise from their doorstep,” added Fitzgerald.
This is all part of the summer 2022-23 cruise season, which will see ships from five Carnival Australia cruise lines call at 72 South Australian ports, generating nearly $65 million in economic activity.
The return of cruising to South Australia is now “plain sailing,” according to Minister of Tourism Zoe Bettison, signaling a multi-million dollar boost for the local tourism industry.
“Pre-pandemic, the cruise industry was worth $145 million to our state; it brings international tourists who will spend in South Australia, and it means more work and more jobs for South Australians,” Bettison commented. “We’re not just restarting this key tourism sector, we’re also welcoming more cruises to South Australia than ever before. With 104 visits, we’re blowing the previous record of 82 out of the water.”
