The first cruise ship of the season arrived in Tauranga Harbour on Friday morning, bringing with it a sense of hope for the region’s visitor season as tourism and business leaders welcome the economic boost.

The Celebrity Edge cruise arrived with 4311 passengers and crew, according to Tourism Bay of Plenty.

“The arrival of the first cruise ship of the season is always an impressive and exciting indicator that our region’s key visitor season is starting,” Tourism Bay of Plenty general manager Oscar Nathan said.

He said it was an opportunity for a cash injection into the Tauranga economy, with tourists arriving and spending locally.

“Many businesses in the retail, hospitality and tourism sectors have struggled through a difficult winter, due to wider economic pressures, but the mood is lightening as we’re shifting through spring with an exciting summer ahead.”

Tourism Bay of Plenty had been preparing for this cruise season since the last one ended in April.

“We’ve conducted and released an important research project on our local cruise sector, we’ve been upskilling and supporting all the tourism operators who have to meet stringent standards to service cruise passengers, and we’ve been recruiting extra isite staff and setting up our cruise season isite centre at the Port of Tauranga,” Nathan said.

Oscar Nathan, Tourism Bay of Plenty general manager. Photo / Tourism Bay of Plenty.

“It’s a Bay tradition to celebrate these impressive ships and to welcome or farewell their passengers, so we’d encourage locals to come down to Pilot Bay and Mauao and show the manaakitanga our region is known for.”

Volunteer cruise ambassador Julie Young told SunLive she’d been welcoming cruise passengers to Tauranga since before Covid-19.

“We make people feel welcome, greet people, give them a local map, give them options - to dine out or whatever they’d like to do during the day, sometimes they need help to find their scenic tour bus,” she said.

Volunteer cruise ambassador Julie Young at the arrival of the first cruise of the 2024 season. Photo / Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

“We advise them on what things they can do like shopping, go to the beach, etcetera, we try and make their day a pleasant day for them and suit their needs.”

Volunteer cruise ambassadors are there to promote the Bay of Plenty to the disembarking cruise passengers. Young says they work according to a roster, on average once a week and start time varies, but they’re usually there from 8am-10.30am depending on what time the ship arrives that day.

Volunteer cruise ambassadors at the arrival of the first cruise ship of the 2024 season. Photo / Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Fewer ships than last year

According to data collected by Tourism Bay of Plenty, 108 ships berthed in the Tauranga Harbour last season. This year there are 93 ship visits scheduled.

Tourism Bay of Plenty, in collaboration with Priority One and KPMG, carried out a study in April and May this year on the local cruise sector. 

According to a report prepared and delivered by KPMG last month, the global cruise sector has rebounded since Covid-19. However, New Zealand still faces challenges in terms of rising operating costs, environmental concerns and global competition continuing to impact its ability to capture a fair share of the cruise market.

Celebrity Edge arrives in the Port of Tauranga to launch the 2024 Tauranga cruise ship season. Photo / Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

“This is evidenced by the forecasted decline of approximately 20% nationally, and 23% for BOP in the upcoming 2024/2025 cruise season,” stated the report.

“Latest ship expenditure data from the 2019/2020 season indicates that cruises contribute 3.1% to total tourism expenditure nationally, and 3.9% for BOP.”

According to the report, the 2019/2020 cruise ship expenditure was $74 million in the Bay of Plenty.

The report said the Bay of Plenty was a key cruise destination for New Zealand.

“The community who reside close to the Port of Tauranga at the Mount area are most directly impacted by cruise ship arrivals.

“In a recent survey, the majority of coastal residents [residents at Mount Maunganui, Pilot Bay, Ōmanu, Pāpāmoa and Arataki] strongly agreed or agreed that cruises had a positive impact on the region.”

The survey also showed the majority of the community from other parts in the Bay of Plenty also strongly agreed or agreed that cruises had a positive impact on the region.

The report said this was because cruises brought positive vibrancy and excitement, economic benefit for local businesses and international exposure for the region.

“An estimated one-third of cruise passengers will stay on the ship, one-third will pre-book excursions and the remaining one-third will come onshore to explore. This one-third proportion of passengers is what is expected to contribute directly to the local businesses in the area.”

Local economy

Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell said he was thrilled to see the return of cruise ships to the city.

Uffindell said this is was a fantastic boost for the local economy, with 68 cruise visits expected this summer.

“Among them is the largest, Ovation of the Seas, arriving on January 2 with 5680 passengers.

“This will provide a much-needed cash injection to our local businesses.

“Local retailers and hospitality businesses in Mount Maunganui and Tauranga are eagerly awaiting the influx of visitors, and the economic benefits these visits bring are vital for the region.

“It’s exciting to witness cruise ships back in Tauranga - a wonderful sight that highlights our community’s resilience and appeal as a destination.

“We have so many good restaurants and sightseeing options in Tauranga.

Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell with sector manager for Tourism Bay of Plenty, Angela Werder, at the arrival of the first cruise ship of the 2024 season. Photo / Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

“It’s crucial that we market this to cruise passengers and keep them local, instead of seeing them depart on day trips out of Tauranga.

“We want to keep them in Tauranga where they can enjoy our amazing sights and boost the local economy.

“I encourage everyone to shop and dine locally, supporting our incredible retailers and restaurants. Together, we can ensure the benefits of this cruise season are felt across our entire community.”

Embrace it

Mount Maunganui Business Association destination manager Michael Clark said locals should welcome the cruise season for the benefits it will offer the local economy, especially small, locally owned businesses.

“First and foremost, embrace it. Be friendly and inviting towards the passengers, especially since a lot of the time it’s their first stop as they get off. Making them feel welcome is really important.”

He said with the cruises came congestion, however, it was also an injection of economic activity into the area.

Clark said the cruise ship season brought vibrancy to the Bay of Plenty.

“We’ll be massively looking forward to the return of the cruise passengers. It will make a big impact for two key sectors that have really struggled,” he said, referring to hospitality and retail.

“When you look at the sales data, this is not a unique problem to Mount Maunganui. This is a New Zealand-wide problem where the locals and visitors have reduced their spending and just simply can’t afford to go out and be liberal with their discretionary spending.

“Local business owners are really struggling with the fact that people aren’t spending.

“We’ve seen a decrease in footfall over the winter from previous years as well as a decrease in average spent and this tracks with the macroeconomic conditions that we’ve experienced in New Zealand for the last six months.

“Local businesses, like everyone, suffer during an economic retraction. The cost-of-living crisis has those big impacts on discretional spending, which unfortunately impact businesses.”

For these businesses, Clark advised it was important that the guests feel welcome, to communicate a business’s point of difference and put on something specifically for cruise passengers and invite them in.

“Hopefully now the changing Reserve Bank rates and warmer weather brings lots of people down to our slice of paradise.”

• Celebrity Edge was to depart last night at 8.30pm, bound for the Bay of Islands. The Crown Princess was to arrive early this morning, departing at 4.30pm, and the Royal Princess is arriving on Sunday for an overnight stay. See here for more details. 

• More information on the Coastal Bay of Plenty Cruise Study: www.bayofplentynz.com/media-and-resources/research-and-insight-dashboards/coastal-bay-of-plenty-cruise-study/.

• KPMG Coastal Bay of Plenty Cruise Sector: Stakeholder Perceptions and Value Proposition report: www.bayofplentynz.com/assets/PDFs/Coastal-Bay-of-Plenty-Cruise-Study-Full-Report.pdf.