$20 million cruise ship boost for Bay

The Western Bay can look forward to a bumper cruise ship season  next summer with 53 floating palaces providing a $20 million boost to the local economy.
It's an increase of 25 per cent on the just completed season, when 42 ships called at Port of Tauranga, bringing an estimated $15 million economic injection.
And the situation looks even better for the 2011/12 season, with early projections that cruise ship visits will be in the high 60s or early 70s.
The 2008/09 season saw a record 56 ships visit. The new season will  begin on October 18 with a visit from the Sun Princess and concludes on April 17 with the Spirit of Enderby calling.
Tourism Bay of Plenty general manager Tim Burgess said the schedule indicated the cruise industry had bounced back strongly.
While total visits were important, passenger numbers were more crucial to accurately estimate the economic value to the region,  he said.
But the boost would affect everyone, he said. "It's helping put money into retailers' pockets, cafes and hospitality, transport, and tourism.
"Passengers do normal things. Some of them might actually get their hair cut, buy stamps, or post letters. I've heard of people buying phones. It's of benefit right across the board."

Mount Mainstreet manager Leanne Brown said the news of 53 cruise ships visits was fantastic for the area.
There will be six days when two cruise ships will be in the harbour, bringing with them an extra 5000-7000 people to Tauranga.
"For the whole region, it's just fantastic. It's looking very, very positive," Ms Brown said.
"From our perspective, our hopes are that cruise ship passengers love it so much, they will come back as free independent travellers."
Ms Brown said many passengers treated a cruise as a way to visit countries and towns quickly, so they could decide where they wanted to return for a longer holiday.
And passengers who were on their second or third cruise holiday were more likely to stay in Tauranga and the Mount instead of travelling to Rotorua.
"They are more likely to wander round and enjoy the area, going shopping, to the beaches, or walking up the Mount," she said.
While cruise ship visits did not have a huge impact on retail sales at the Mount, Ms Brown said the atmosphere was fantastic. "It's absolutely amazing, so exciting."
This season sees one new visitor to the port, the five-star Deutschland which is on a world cruise. It is described as a European-style cruise ship, with all the class of a 1920s grand hotel, rich in brass and teak, and with all the trappings of luxury.
Also making one visit is the Spirit of Oceanus, a 120-guest luxuriously appointed ship which specialises in taking passengers to unique environments, like White Island.
Another rare visitor to the port will be the Paul Gauguin which makes two visits. This ship normally plys the French Polynesia cruise
 circuit.
A total of 18 different vessels will visit during the 2010/11 season.
The 77,000 tonne sister ships, the Sun Princess and Dawn Princess, comprise 19 of the visits, with the same cruise company's newer "grand" class of ship, the 116,000 tonne Diamond Princess visiting four times.
The Volendam has eight visits and the Pacific Dawn four visits.
with John Cousins