Cruise ship visits to Dunedin dip due to global threats

Dunedin is prepared for a slightly less busy cruise ship season because of security threats in the Red Sea and a burgeoning Japanese cruise market but will still experience bumper summer days, with 8,000 passengers due to arrive on Christmas Eve alone.

The first of 94 cruise ship visits to Dunedin and Port Chalmers arrives on October 15.

Although it will be less busy than last season, when 118 ships visited.

Port of Otago commercial manager Craig Usher says it is estimated the cruise sector contributes $70 million to $100 million to the Otago regional economy, annually.

“We can therefore expect the financial impact on our region to be proportionately affected."

There are several factors in the reduction of visits, he says.

“New Zealand costs are increasing beyond what cruise lines can recover from customers. Japan is looking to grow its cruise market and this is being well supported by government agencies and ports for an overall economic benefit. Tourists from Asia are increasingly comfortable about travelling again, so the proximity of Japan contributes to its appeal. Consequently, we are beginning to see cruise ships currently positioned in Australia/New Zealand being redeployed to Asia and the US. The Red Sea conflict is a factor.

“To avoid the Red Sea adds about 20 days onto a vessel’s journey to get to Europe and it’s not what customers want.”

The port has made some alterations for this summer, he says.

“The cruise lines often comment that Port Otago’s cruise team and facilities are the benchmark within New Zealand. The winter has provided an opportunity for us to make some improvements and refinements. Within our cruise terminal, we have added a dedicated area for ships’ crews to relax onshore.

“As part of the $8.3 million upgrade of the Port Chalmers terminal’s Cross Wharf, a pedestrian walkway was built, so passengers can move more smoothly from our CT Wharf, across to the cruise terminal.

"We have also repurposed an existing building and moved it to act as a small cruise terminal at the Dunedin Wharves. This will be a welcome addition for passengers, as they move to and from their vessels.”

This summer there will be two ships berthed at Port Chalmers on 11 occasions, down from 28 double-berth days, last summer.

That is still expected to result in big numbers of visitors on those occasions and Otago Regional Council will again be providing additional buses to help address increased demand for services to and from Port Chalmers during peak times.

“We’ll be doing the same things we did last season to make sure there’s room for local passengers on the Port Chalmers route 14 bus,” Otago Regional Council Public and Active Transport Committee co-chair Andrew Noone says.

“This includes providing 358 additional bus trips on route 14 on busy days when more than 2000 cruise ship passengers arrive. Extra trips will be provided on 44 days throughout the season.”

 A retail booth will again sell bus tickets to cruise passengers from the Port Chalmers Library.

While cruise passengers are encouraged to use the private buses offered by their ships, many choose to take the public bus service. Orbus buses leaving Port Chalmers will leave room for passengers at later stops.

The central city drop off and pick up point for cruise ship passengers on the Port Chalmers bus will again be outside Centre City New World in Cumberland Street.

Extra bus trips will run on 44 days throughout the season. On these days extra services will run during our morning and afternoon “peak times”, meaning buses will run every 15 minutes on weekdays, and every 30 minutes on weekends. 

Even with extra buses running there will 21 especially busy days with more than 4,000 passengers arriving either on large ships or because more than one ship is due in port.

Christmas Eve is expected to be very busy as the Ovation of the Seas and a second ship are due bringing more than 8,000 passengers into port, and out again.

 “We’ll keep the community updated through alerts to the Orbus Dunedin Facebook page and the ORC website, but we’re also asking people to plan ahead and consider taking the bus at a different time than usual on the busier cruise ship days,” Councillor Noone says.

Nationally, the New Zealand Cruise Association expects to see a 15 to 20 percent reduction in visits for 2024/25 and beyond because of increased costs to operate, global competition and geopolitical risks.

Main image (STW Studio): Cruise ship Celebrity Eclipse coming into Port Chalmers last year.