'Light at the end of the tunnel': Cruise ships return to Napier in October

A cruise ship at Napier Port in 2019 prior to Covid shutting down the industry. Photo / NZME

A Napier shop owner says the return of cruise ships to the city for the first time in over two years is the "light at the end of the tunnel" for many businesses, who have been desperately waiting for their return.

The Government announced this week that the maritime border would reopen on July 31, meaning cruise ships can return to New Zealand, including Napier.

The nation's border will also fully reopen on that date.

Napier Port says there is "no longer a logical basis to exclude the cruise industry" and has welcomed the move.

There are currently about 90 cruises tentatively booked to visit Napier during the upcoming cruise season, starting on October 12.

Napier Port CEO Todd Dawson says the approximately 90 cruise bookings scheduled to visit between October and April was more than the pre-pandemic peak of 76 vessels in the 2020 financial year.

"However, it takes months of lead-in time for cruise lines to arrange logistics and planning," Dawson said.

"Realistically we wouldn't expect all the current bookings to translate into visits, but are confident we will see some cruise tourism return this season, which will be a boost to local tourism, retail and hospitality."

The return of cruise ships will coincide with the opening of the port's new $175 million wharf in July.

The new wharf is capable of berthing cruise ships up to 360m long, meaning it can cater for the biggest cruise ships in the world.

Hawke's Bay Tourism CEO Hamish Saxton said the 2019/20 cruise season was worth about $30 million to the region.

"This week's announcement is another step on the path to recovery."

Napier shop Adore Collection owners Steve and Sally Holyer can't wait for the return of cruise ships. Photo / Warren Buckland

Napier City Business general manager Pip Thompson said the announcement this week was great news for businesses.

"I think vibrancy is key to any CBD success and we are lucky enough to have a port very close to our CBD and I think it will just bring smiles back to our retailers' faces."

Thompson said not all shops and businesses would benefit financially from the return, but everyone would still be pleased to see more people in the CBD again.

She said perhaps the biggest challenge ahead will be for businesses to find enough staff, which has been a big problem throughout Covid.

"We are a little reserved about how we are going to accommodate [our cruise visitors] in our cafe and hospitality scene because staffing is still so short, and we obviously want to offer our visitors the best experience."

Napier shop Adore Collection co-owner Sally Holyer said it was fantastic news to hear cruises were returning.

"For us, we used to get 60 per cent of our business from overseas visitors, so the last two years has been an interesting challenge."

She said cruises made up a large portion of that turnover, prior to Covid hitting.

"It is really good news and light at the end of the tunnel," Holyer said, of cruises returning.

"Our regulars and locals have been amazing through a really difficult time, but this will take us back to a bit of normality and keep us going."

Napier Labour MP and Tourism Minister Stuart Nash said the maritime border was being reopened in time for the upcoming cruise season.

"Approximately 90 per cent of cruise visits are during the warmer months of October to April, and summer is our bumper tourism season overall."

The NZ border has been reopening in stages, including to Australian visitors last month, and to a long list of other countries this month - without requiring MIQ or self-isolation.