Treat your clients this spring with these local cruising wonders

By Alexandra Coulton

With spring now well within sight, the countdown to carnival season is on.

Considering the unprecedented nature of this year, your clients might be a little more reluctant to join the fun, which is why you may need to bring the Carnival to them.

No, we’re not talking about setting up your yard with horse races – we’re talking about booking ahead with Carnival Cruise Line.

Since travellers can’t take off overseas by plane this year, why not suggest heading out onto the seas instead and help them plan a cruise through some stunning local waters?

There’s still plenty to see and do, and they’ll be supporting the local community while appreciating the beauty that is Australia.

Oh, and they’ll be enjoying a stress-free, all-inclusive holiday, which, after so long working from home and home-schooling, will be well deserved.

If your clients are dreaming of a holiday, but are not sure where to go, here are the top three suggestions from the Carnival Cruise Line experts:

Great Barrier Reef

How often can you say you’ve been to one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World?

That’s right, the Great Barrier Reef holds the title, along with Rio Harbour in Brazil; The Grand Canyon, USA; Aurora Borealis (aka the Northern Lights); Victoria Falls in Zambia/Zimbabwe; Paricutin in Mexico; and Mount Everest in Nepal. And it’s right here in Queensland.

The Great Barrier Reef extends 2,300 kilometres from the Torres Strait in the north to Lady Elliot Island in the south.

Take a cruise from Sydney or Brisbane and you’ll travel the length of the reef up to the popular Whitsunday Islands, where you’ll port in Airlie Beach for the day and can take shore excursions to see the reef close-up, snorkelling, swimming and diving in the waters.

This natural habitat is so spectacular it can be seen from space, and it’s home to more than 1,500 fish species and more than 30 species of marine mammals.

Tangalooma, Moreton Island

Departing from Sydney, your client can enjoy a short four-day cruise to Tangalooma on Moreton Island, located just a short distance offshore from Brisbane.

Moreton Island is a protected sand island that’s best known for its steep dunes and beautiful beaches. It’s the third-largest sand island in the world, with nearby Fraser Island and Stradbroke Island taking out the titles for first and second largest.

There’s so much to do at Tangalooma Island Resort, with dive sites like the famous shipwrecks, which you can see via a sea scooter safari and which are teeming with coral and tropical fish; get the adrenalin pumping with an ATV quad biking adventure; and jettisoning down sand dunes.

Tangalooma is today best known as a wild dolphin feeding spot, where visitors can hand-feed wild dolphins. A cruise to Moreton Island will include a full day onshore and is a unique port because you can pack so many activities in back-to-back and still find time to relax.

Cairns and Port Douglas

Tropical North Queensland is filled with natural beauty, from the pristine beaches and the Great Barrier Reef, to the rainforest and waterfalls.

You can visit the Tropical North with a seven-day cruise from Brisbane or a 10-day cruise from Sydney to Port Douglas and Cairns, which gives visitors the chance to explore and see the best sights this region has to offer.

From the comfort of the cruise ship, or by stepping off for a shore excursion, your client can explore these beautiful places and their surroundings.

For Cairns, highlights certainly include the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Wet Tropics, a 100-million-year-old rainforest that’s as diverse as it is stunning.

If you don’t have time to leave the city, head to the Cairns Aquarium or the Cairns Performing Arts Precinct in the city and connect with the local culture.

Further north is Port Douglas, nestled amongst the palm trees and teeming with wildlife and wellness adventures.

From the stunning Daintree Rainforest to Mossman Gorge, markets and galleries, to Four Mile Beach and delicious restaurant meals, Port Douglas has a combination that’s hard to beat.

Departing from Brisbane or Sydney, you can book your spot now for departures from November 2020, through to various dates in 2021.

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Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

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