New Zealand’s cruise industry has endured a bruising few years – and the question being asked across the sector is whether the flurry of recent activity from industry and government alike is enough to turn the tide.
Tourism Minister Louise Upston’s decision to travel to Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami – the world’s biggest cruise trade event – was the most visible sign yet that the government is taking the decline seriously. Accompanied by a combined Australasian delegation including representatives from the New Zealand Cruise Association, the Australian Cruise Association and CLIA Australasia, Upston met with CLIA president and CEO Bud Darr and other key industry leaders, delivering a blunt message to cruise lines currently allocating ships for future seasons: “We’re open for business and we love cruise.”
Warm words in Miami, however well-received, beg an obvious question – is it enough?
The numbers tell a sombre story. A CLIA Australasia economic impact report found that cruise tourism generated NZ$1.23 billion for the New Zealand economy in 2024/25 – a significant sum, but one representing a near 10 per cent contraction on the prior year.
Employment in the sector fell 15 per cent, and total passenger and crew visit days dropped by almost 22 per cent. Ship calls for the upcoming 2025/26 season are projected to fall dramatically below 2023/24, with volumes sinking to levels not seen since 2017/18. Critically, the decline reflects reduced ship deployment rather than any waning of passenger interest – a distinction that places the burden of recovery squarely on policy and destination competitiveness.
New Zealand has not helped its own cause. Strict biosecurity requirements have seen vessels turned away from ports, causing reputational damage with cruise lines weighing up where to deploy their ships. A widely-reported incident in which a P&O vessel was denied entry – preventing an Australian couple from marrying at Hobbiton – travelled far beyond the travel trade press and did little to burnish the country’s image as a welcoming cruise destination.
It is against this backdrop that the renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding between the ACA and NZCA carries real weight. Notably, CLIA Australasia holds its own existing MoUs with both organisations, and the three already work closely together – meaning the renewed agreement deepens an already well-established framework of regional cooperation. Under it, the bodies will collaborate on regional promotion, intelligence sharing, and engagement with cruise lines, while jointly attending major international industry events. The message is deliberate: Australasia is a single, coherent cruise ecosystem, and it intends to compete as one.
As ACA CEO Jill Abel noted, destinations that demonstrate “collaboration, consistency and a clear regional proposition” will be best placed to capture future growth from a significant pipeline of new ships entering the global fleet over the next decade.
New Zealand minister heads to Miami to pitch for more cruise ships
