It comes as the port welcomed a rare off-season cruise, the Insignia, on Monday.
The Insignia cruise ship made a rare off-season visit to Napier on Monday. Photo / Gary Hamilton-Irvine
The decline in cruise bookings is a nationwide problem. It was revealed this month that visits are expected to drop at 20 of 21 ports for the upcoming season (Timaru being the exception).
Napier Port CEO Todd Dawson said some regions were experiencing further declines than Napier, of up to 30% year-on-year.
He said cruise companies were “directing their capacity” to the Northern Hemisphere, where they were making the most money.
“Feedback from the cruise industry is that they find the NZ and Australian market challenging at the moment in terms of cost and barriers to entry, including biofouling management requirements.
“NZ’s been seen a little bit unfavourably by the cruise industry, so we’re working with all the other ports to try and correct that at the moment.
A street performer entertains cruise visitors in Napier CBD. Photo / Paul Taylor
“We think bookings will be subdued for the next couple of years before we expect to see those numbers coming back up again.
“Cruise lines generally look two-three years out.”
“This is not a consumer demand issue, it is a supply problem - visitors still want to come here and passenger ratings for New Zealand are incredibly high, but the cost and complexity for cruise lines means they are shifting their focus to other, more-welcoming destinations,” she said.
“A decline in ship visits and passenger numbers means fewer tourism dollars for regional communities, less investment in NZ by global cruise operators, and the potential loss of our reputation as a world-class cruise destination.”
Fees and levies to visit New Zealand and its ports, combined with global fuel price and currency shift pressures, have made New Zealand among the most expensive cruise spots in the world, she said.
Napier City Business general manager Pip Thompson said other regions were facing higher declines than Napier, which remained a popular tourist destination - with easy access from the port to the heart of the city.
“We all know that cruises bring so much vibrancy to the city,” she said.
“I wouldn’t say it is worrying ... it is a sign of the times and - like anything - it will pick up again.
“And we are lucky we still have large cruise liners coming in.”
Ovation of the Seas, a massive cruise ship with capacity for almost 5000 passengers, is not scheduled to return to Napier for the 2025/26 season.
However, sister ship Anthem of the Seas, which has the same capacity, is booked for five visits.
Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.
