Royal Princess’ ‘partial turnaround’ may bring $568,000 to Hobart – could this be the solution to our regional cruise woes?

• Royal Princess just completed its first ‘partial turnaround’ cruise in Hobart
• This is where guests can start or end their cruise in Hobart, even though the full itinerary starts and ends in other ports
• This could provide a stopgap solution for regional ports that are seeing fewer cruise ships

In a first for Princess Cruises and Tasmania, a partial turnaround cruise on Royal Princess was operated to Hobart, meaning passengers could start and end their cruise in Tasmania, even though the larger itinerary starts and ends in different ports.

Figures show that this stop alone could inject nearly $1.5 million into the local economy, raising the question as to why this isn’t done more often.

Many cruise lines have been shifting their ships to mostly or entirely homeport out of Sydney and Brisbane. This comes at a great expense to regional ports, and places like Adelaide and Melbourne have mounted campaigns to win the business back.

Not only does this mean less port visits and therefore less economic benefits for regional ports, but it also means a higher ratio of port visits, compared to turnaround port stops. When a cruise ship starts or ends at a port, this port gets a much greater economic benefit.

This is because cruise passengers will generally stay for a few days before or after their cruise. Roy Morgan Research says that the average cruise passenger in Australia will stay 5.2 nights in port before or after doing a cruise in Australia. This provides a huge benefit to the town. For example, if 2000 people visit the town to get on a cruise and stay five nights, this provides the town with 10,000 nights worth of spending from cruise passengers.

For a real-life example, if we look at Royal Princess’s partial cruise turnaround in Hobart last week, 400 people finished the cruise in Hobart and 400 people started the cruise in Hobart. 

If we take this figure of 400 people and apply the Roy Morgan average of five days spent in port, we can make some inferences about the economic benefits to the port. According to Budget Your Trip travellers spend an average of $284 per day when on vacation in Australia. This means over 5 days, a traveller in Hobart would spend around $1420. If you times this by the 400 passengers, this comes out to a massive $568,000 economic injection for the town. 

This number would obviously be even larger if the entire cruise started in Hobart, but with cruise lines seemingly committing to Sydney and Brisbane homeporting, this partial turnaround cruise could provide a stop-gap solution for bringing money into regional ports.

The problem is that aren’t too many more of these cruises on the horizon. Next season, there are no cruises scheduled out of Hobart. However, Princess Cruises has been contacted to see if the five port visits scheduled to Hobart could become partial turnaround cruise stops.

Major cruise lines in Australia like Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruises Australia don’t currently run partial turnaround cruises meaning regional ports are limited to only occasional port visits. If these port visits became partial turnaround cruises, they would attract interstate or international visitors who stay for longer and bring in greater benefit to the town.

What are passengers saying about the partial turnaround cruise?

Mignonne Lane told The Hobart Mercury that she is delighted to vacation from her doorstep for a change.

“I have always wanted to go on a cruise and now I’m doing it, I only had to wait until 70.” 

She adds that travelling just out of Hobart allowed her to pack more things as her luggage didn’t need to be small enough to fit airplane carry-on restrictions.

“If I had to go to Sydney, I would have a smaller suitcase.”

Seasoned cruiser Pip Tyyrell was happy to be jumping on board from home for a change.

“A cruise is what you want to make it- you could do something all day every day if you want to, you can be here, there, and everywhere.

“You can be on and off the ship at every port or you can just veg out and let the world go by and just have a lovely time and be spoiled.”

Tasmania Ports celebrates a regional victory

TasPorts CEO Anthony Donald says partial turnaround cruises can make a huge difference for the industry.

“This new offering not only enhances Hobart’s appeal as a cruise destination but also promises significant economic benefits for our local tourism and hospitality sectors through increased pre- and post-cruise travel opportunities,” Mr. Donald said.

“TasPorts is proud to have collaborated closely with Princess Cruises to bring these partial turnarounds to Hobart this season. We look forward to working alongside the Tasmanian Government and our Federal Border Agencies to continue growing this aspect of the cruise business, strengthening Hobart’s role in the region’s cruising landscape.”

Destination Southern Tasmania CEO Alex Heroys says he believes more cruises like this can add significant benefit to the Tasmanian economy.

“These partial turnarounds are fantastic for the visitor economy, we know that the guests embarking and disembarking will stay in Tasmania before and after the cruise, delivering value into the accommodation and hospitality sector.

“It is another way that we can get visitors into Tasmania and into the regions to experience our State.”

Australian Cruise Association CEO Jill Abel says the initiative benefits locals and visitors alike.

“For Tasmanians, the ability to begin or end a cruise in their home port is a long-awaited opportunity.

“Additionally, visitors can now fly into Hobart to join a cruise or conclude their journey here, offering the perfect chance to explore Tasmania further with an extended land stay.”