NZ set for record number of cruise ships this summer

The Queen Mary 2 cruise ship sails into Auckland's Waitemata Harbour. Photo / Dean Purcell, NZ Herald

New Zealand will welcome a record number of cruise ships this summer, including an unprecedented six vessels making their inaugural visits to the country.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Australasia said 28 ships from its members' fleets would cruise to New Zealand over the coming months - an increase of more than 25 per cent on last year's summer season.

CLIA Australasia commercial director Brett Jardine said the visiting flotilla will make more than 600 calls to New Zealand ports between October 1, 2015 and April 30, 2016, injecting hundreds of millions of dollars into the local economy.

However, CLIA has warned the future growth of the local cruise industry will be affected by the introduction of the Border Control Levy in New Zealand.

"The introduction of a 'tax' on arriving cruise passengers and crew will have a major impact on the cost of doing business in New Zealand and comes on top of an already expensive destination in terms of port and related costs," Mr Jardine said

"With New Zealand operating in a highly competitive global market in terms of cruise ship destinations, the imposition of the levy is likely to make alternative destinations in the region more attractive and will almost certainly slow the growth of the industry in New Zealand."

Mr Jardine said the current growth of cruising in New Zealand was underlined by the fact that six of the CLIA member cruise ships visiting this summer would be making their inaugural calls to New Zealand.

The season will get underway in early October with Princess Cruises' Diamond Princess making the first visit to New Zealand shores when it cruises into Fiordland National Park on October 2.

Diamond Princess will also be the first ship to call in Auckland for the season, arriving on October 8.

The new figures come at the start of Cruise Week, CLIA's nationwide consumer promotion.

They built on passenger statistics released earlier this year, which showed that a record 65,609 New Zealanders took a cruise in 2014.