This should be the cruise election – politicians have let our ships sail away

• Australia’s cruise industry is in decline despite soaring demand.
• A huge delegation from Australia and New Zealand will descend on Miami next week asking for more ships.
• But a new Cruise Passenger survey shows the calls are likely to fall on deaf ears.

Cruisers unite! If billionnaire Clive Palmer can create a party called the Trumpet of Patriots, surely we can muster a crew to put cruise on the hustings in Australia’s federal election.

After all, 1.2 million of us are cruisers. We deliver $8.4 billion in economic activity and tens of thousands of jobs. But thanks to government regulation and costs that mean our ports are twice as expensive as New York or Miami, fewer and fewer ships from our favourite lines are being homeported here.

Add to that a chronic lack of capacity in Sydney Harbour thanks to a lack of investment and the will to welcome cruise companies, and you can see why cruise companies are reluctant to come here.

Last year, Cruise Passenger‘s Tallis Boerne Marcus was the first to break the story of our depleting homeported cruise fleet, with lines as popular as Princess and Cunard cutting back ships or stopping local cruises altogether in 2025/26.

Carnival Cruise Line last month closed P&O Australia after 92 years of sailing, folding two of its ships into Carnival and selling off another.

Today, with a heavy heart we report the situation will further deteriorate in 2026/27, with another five per cent drop in ships available. Over both seasons, our capacity will reduce by 17,712 passengers as demand soars.

So other countries will now benefit from Australia’s love affair with cruise, while towns like Eden that have invested to welcome ships will see the benefits reduce. That’s before we consider the tens of thousands of overseas cruise fans who come to sail our waters. They don’t just cruise – they spend sometimes weeks touring Australia.

The largest portion of overseas visitors came from North America (99,000), followed by New Zealand
(66,000), Europe & UK (34,000), and 18,000 from other regions

There are a number of factors at play. Some are just bad luck: the Caribbean is booming, and our dollar is falling. Some of it, however, is the result of successive governments who have failed to recognise the true value of cruise tourism.

Viking passengers – cruise brings tens of thousands of overseas visitors

Next week, Cruise Lines International Association Australasia, the New Zealand Cruise Association and some 30 tourism groups are heading to Miami to lobby cruise line bosses to bring more cruise ships to Australia at America’s biggest cruise fest, Seatrade Cruise Global.

It’s the largest ever delegation.

NZCA Chair Tansy Tompkins said in a report last week : “The 2025/26 forecast reinforces the very real concerns NZCA has been raising since the post-covid restart.  Bucking the global trend of dynamic cruise tourism growth, New Zealand’s booking momentum has slowed significantly, and while final itineraries are still being confirmed, current projections indicate a major downturn.

“The sharp drop in forecast bookings – over 40% lower than our bumper 2023/24 season – has many in the industry deeply concerned about the future.”

Royal Caribbean has a favourite phrase when asked about the problems it has encountered in popular destinations like Barcelona in Spain: “We go where we are welcome”.

Now, it’s a phrase that could apply to our region.

While Singapore’s government built a state-of-the-art terminal at Marina Bay which could take two large ships, Sydney can’t find a further berth despite decades of debate. Another investigation is under way right now – but it hasn’t been heard of in a year.

Instead of pressing the case for sharing Garden Island with the Navy, the New South Wales government ordered yet another search – as if there is a part of the harbour we haven’t discovered yet.

To be fair, New South Wales has invested in ports like Eden. And that has delivered in passenger enjoyment and spreading cruise dollars around the state.

But it has done nothing about sky high port charges, nor has it done much to make cruise companies feel welcome.

New Zealand is pinning its hopes of a new government. One member of the delegation to American next week said:

Jacqui Lloyd, CEO of the New Zealand Cruise Association, believes the New Zealand government sees the potential of cruise tourism and has changed, despite wreaking havoc on the region with its misguided biosecurity measures that ruined thousands of holidays and made cruise lines too nervous to commit their billion dollar vessels to Australia and NZ.

“There has been a notable shift within government towards recognising tourism’s growth potential, and the new Tourism and Hospitality Minister understands the value of cruise to New Zealand. NZCA maintains active engagement with the Minister, MBIE, key government agencies, and tourism associations to ensure cruise remains a priority.

“Our regular discussions and collaborative efforts are raising awareness at the highest levels, helping to address industry challenges and drive meaningful action.”

Let’s hope she’s right. But Australian cruisers have the chance right now to make Canberra aware of their feelings.

We suggest you find your political candidates at the hustings – from whatever party they come from – and ask them what they can do to help persuade cruise lines to recommit to Australia.

If we can’t make that happen, cruises won’t stop taking their favourite holidays. They will simply fly to foreign destinations and spend their money overseas.

Send us your comments and we will pass them on to the federal government.