Jo Raphael: Are we waving cruise ships goodbye forever?

Will we be seeing sights such as cruise ships docked at Tauranga's port again. Photo / File

OPINION:
It's quite a majestic sight, watching cruise ships sail into Tauranga Harbour.

These floating hotels, some luxuriously appointed, bring visitors from all over the world to New Zealand and the Bay.

Their commanding profiles are hard to miss as they hug the docks at Tauranga's port.

Locals are renowned for the joy they take in welcoming and farewelling visitors, some making the trek around the Mauao base track or Pilot Bay to wave them in or out.

With no end in sight of the Covid-19 global pandemic, who knows when we could be welcoming back visitors?

Cruise ships brought a $90.3 million boost to the local economy in the 2018 to 2019 season.

The 2019 to 2020 summer cruise season was brought to a sudden and unceremonious halt in March – unable to see it out to its end in April with Covid-19 ensuring cancellations of the 15 remaining cruise ship visits.

And this year the picture is bleaker still.

It is estimated that the local economy will take an unprecedented $100m hit, with zero cruise ships expected to dock at the port.

The absence of this economic boost is expected to be felt throughout the Bay of Plenty for years to come.

And the effects are not just limited to Tauranga.

Rotorua tourism operators previously enjoyed the benefits of passengers booking day trips – taking in the culture at some of Rotorua's most famous tourist attractions such as Te Puia and Tamaki Maori Village.

Destination Rotorua says because of Rotorua's proximity to Tauranga and the wide range of activities there are, about a third of passengers choose to make the trip.

The unexpected halt has forced some to change tack.

Tourism Bay of Plenty head of marketing Kath Low says the organisation is working closely with Tauranga Chamber of Commerce and Priority One to help affected businesses throughout the coastal Bay area.

The knock-on impact of losing the cruise season means that it will be vital for months and months ahead to support local businesses.

This, of course, won't make up for the massive drop in cruise ship income but will be the best thing we can do as locals.

Hopefully, domestic tourism also goes some way towards cushioning the blow.

While it's good for our tourism bodies to be seen to be doing something to stem the flow – how long can we realistically hang on until the ships return?

With so many other regions and industries vying for the domestic dollar have we waved the cruise ships goodbye for the last time?