Cruise ships boost for Wollongong tourism

Destination Wollongong recently announced that Royal Carribbean will bring an additional two cruise ships to Port Kembla this summer, following the inaugural visit from Radiance of the Sea on October 30. It is a major coup for tourism in the region after three years of negotiations, the Radiance of the Sea will bring in 2400 guests each time it docks for day trips and injecting $890,000 into the local economy.

The cruise line’s Regional Vice President Gavin Smith confirmed their commitment to the region to “provide our guests the opportunity to sample all that Wollongong and the South Coast have to offer. At the same time, it will give us the chance to investigate Port Kembla as an alternative home port, as an overflow to congestion in Sydney Harbour.”

The ship will spend a day in port, allowing tourists from Australia and around the world to explore the Illawarra’s beaches, city, towns and attractions through day trips, courtesy buses and planned activity options.

Destination Wollongong General Manager Mark Sleigh says the agreement with Royal Caribbean is an amazing opportunity for the Illawarra which will have immediate economic benefits and ongoing tourism advantages.

“It is terrific that one of the world’s leading tourism operators has seen the potential of Wollongong as a genuine, world-class tourist destination. The visiting cruise ships will bring an influx of visitors to our shores and allow us to show off Wollongong and the South Coast to a whole new audience across the world,” he said.

“With the cruise industry growing at such a rapid rate and with limited capacity to facilitate this growth in Sydney Harbour, this ongoing commitment from Royal Caribbean will no doubt see other cruise lines looking towards Wollongong as both a shore excursion and turnaround port in the coming seasons,” said Mr Sleigh.