Exclusive: “Certainty” would mean more ships for Australia, says Princess Cruises President

• The President of Princess Cruises Gus Antorcha flew into Australia to celebrate the line’s 50th anniversary of sailing here.
• He was quick to support calls for certainty around regulation in the region, saying CLIA’s campaign for a whole-of-government approach could mean more ships.
• Cruise Passenger talked to him aboard the Discovery Princess, the largest and most modern ship to join the fleet, while filming a Cruise TV Readers’ Choice Awards program.

Princess Cruises President Gus Antorcha has signalled strong support for closer collaboration with the Australian government and industry bodies as the cruise line launched the season with its newest and largest ship to sail in local waters.

Antorcha is the most senior cruise industry figure so far to urge the Australian government and industry to meet over issues like over-regulation and port charges, and follows a long campaign by Cruise Passenger for a cruise summit.

In an exclusive interview, Antorcha said he planned to meet a series of government officials during his visit. He is expected to discuss how Australia can create a more cohesive, consistent framework for cruise tourism — a framework he believes could ultimately lead to more Princess ships returning to Australian waters.

“Any time we can work collaboratively with local governments to manage tourism and invest appropriately, it’s always a net positive,” he said. “There is absolutely a way to figure out how we create a great environment for us to add and grow.”

His comments come as industry figures express concern at Federal Tourism Minister Don Farrell’s failure to engage with the cruise industry.

Leading figures have told Cruise Passenger Farrell is too busy elsewhere to give the cruise industry the attention it deserves as the industry faces a $1 billion fall off in cruise tourism spending.

Last week, the Australian Cruise Association CEO Brendan Connell told members he was working closely with CLIA on urging Canberra to adopt a “whole-of-government approach” to cruis tourism – warning that Australia’s shrinking deployment has cost over $1.1 billion in lost economic benefit this year alone.

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Australians love to cruise…the demand is here”

Antorcha made clear that Princess sees enormous long-term potential in Australia, where cruising remains one of the highest-participation tourism sectors in the world.

“Clearly, the demand is here. Australians love to cruise. They love travel. Proportionately, Australians are one of the largest cruise markets on the planet,” he said.

Princess has already begun growing capacity in the region, including deployments to Fremantle and South Australia, moves that Antorcha noted have been enthusiastically received.

“We’ve already started,” he said. “And the increased connectivity with Japan really allows the increase in capacity into Australia.”

When asked whether Princess could eventually return to the five-ship presence it once enjoyed locally, Antorcha did not hesitate.

“I would love to see a world where we have that level of capacity back in Australia. It’s a function of demand, of course, and then the economics around where we move ships. But in terms of being committed to Australia — we’re deeply committed. And we have been for a long time.”

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Support for a whole-of-government approach

Antorcha said he had not yet seen the full details of CLIA and ACA’s proposed whole-of-government strategy, but said Princess was open and supportive of any initiative that increased collaboration, consistency, and long-term planning.

“I’m not aware of the details of that,” he said, “but we are meeting Monday with a series of government officials. Our government relations team and I will be meeting before then.”

He continued: “Any time we work together – industry and government – we’re able to accomplish the objectives government has, and it allows us to adapt. What’s very difficult for us is when things change suddenly, or when there’s uncertainty, because you can’t plan around uncertainty.”

He added that more stable, predictable policy settings “would absolutely have us adding capacity long term.”

When asked whether he would support a whole-of-government approach or even a national cruise summit, Antorcha replied: “I think that would be wonderful. I absolutely will support that.”

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Discovery Princess a powerful symbol

The arrival of Discovery Princess – a 3,660-guest, next-generation MedallionClass ship – is a milestone moment for Princess Cruises in Australia.

During the 50-year celebrations onboard, Antorcha described operating such a heritage-rich global brand as “an honour”.

“It reminds us that we’re caretakers of this brand,” he said. “There’s a legacy and tradition and history that we need to uphold. These milestones – 50, 60, 75 years-  they remind us of that responsibility.”

Princess’s connection with Australia is unusually deep and, as Antorcha noted, unusually loyal.

Cruise Passenger pointed out that the line frequently did well in the Readers’ Choice Cruise Awards – this year taking out three medallions – and that many premium Australian cruisers considered the line “Aussie”.

“If Australians think Princess is their cruise line, then we got it right. It means what we do here resonates with our guests. We build loyalty.”

He pointed to the brand’s smallest local ship, Crown Princess, which is heavily oversubscribed. “It’s booked out all year. People love that ship,” he said.

This level of demand, he added, shapes Princess’s planning.

“We need to understand what drives that loyalty and not do anything to upset it. Paying attention to our guests and our most loyal passengers — it’s a big deal. It’s important to us.”

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A magic formula for fly-cruise growth

Antorcha said one of Princess’s biggest growth opportunities is fly-cruise from Australia, particularly to Japan and Northern Asia –  destinations he described as “symbiotic” with the Australian market.

“There’s a wonderful synergy between Australia and Northern Asia –  Japan especially,” he said. “We’re the largest cruise line in Japan. Australians love those destinations. So it should be a really magic formula.”

Singapore is also proving a strong option.

“Singapore is relatively close. Eight hours is nothing compared to going to Europe,” he noted. “Everything is far in Australia – Australia’s a big country –  so Singapore works very well.”

Over the long term, Princess believes its growing presence in Asia will help increase options for Australians and reinforce the circular cruise routes that connect Australia, Southeast Asia, and Japan.

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Planning for growth

While Antorcha was optimistic about Princess’s ability to grow in Australia, he underscored the reality that deployment decisions must balance global demand and predictable local conditions.

“Whether we increase further or not depends on how the market evolves — and how our other markets evolve,” he said. “We’re global. We balance supply with demand across the globe.”

But the appetite is clearly there.

“We’re very committed to Australia,” he said. “And with the right dialogue, there are always things to improve.”

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