DESTINATIONS
Clouds clearing
After a dip in ship visits over recent years, is the tide turning for New Zealand’s cruising fortunes? Jane Archer reports
a
travelweekly.co.uk
s an island nation with miles of coastline and everything from history and culture to wildlife and wine, New
Zealand is made for cruising. Passengers can visit geothermal parks with steaming rocks and bubbling mud pools, wander botanic gardens that are filled with exotic plants, go hiking and explore the self-styled art deco capital of the world. However, despite the fact that the country has so much to attract cruisers keen to journey Down Under, several cruise lines have left its shores and those of its neighbour, Australia, where most New Zealand cruises start or end. Cunard, Disney Cruise Line and Virgin Voyages no longer call here, while Carnival Cruise Line is switching Carnival Adventure from year-round sailings in Australia and New Zealand to a seasonal operation from April 2028. Carnival cited “the uncertain regulatory environment in Australia and New Zealand” among its reasons.
In all, ship visits in 2025-26 are down 41%,
according to New Zealand Cruise Association chief executive Jacqui Lloyd, resulting in a massive fall in the income cruising generates. The most recent figures show the total value of the cruise industry to the country’s economy dropped 9.8% in 2024-25 to £535 million. But that seems to be helping to turn the tide for
the New Zealand cruise industry, with a proposed government ban on cruise ships entering Milford Sound – a highlight of many itineraries – now dropped, and a strategic plan to grow cruise income by 2040. Costs remain relatively high and biofouling regulations are strict, but with nearly 10,000 jobs dependent on the cruise sector, Lloyd says the government has recognised that cruise “delivers value for the economy, environment and communities”. On a recent sailing around the country, the shift was evident: volunteers are on hand in ports with maps and advice for passengers, while shops have signs outside welcoming cruisers with offers and discounts.
NEW ZEALAND | CRUISE
² 16 APRIL 2026 43
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