Carnival Australia to base second ship in Brisbane

Cruise ship company Carnival Australia has announced it will base a second cruise liner in Brisbane.

From March next year P and O’s Pacific Sun will operate out of Brisbane for the first time alongside the Pacific Dawn.

Arrangements will be reviewed in May after the ship’s first season.

Carnival’s Anthony Fisk says Queensland is the nation’s growth centre for people choosing to go on a cruise.

“During this downturn people have really turned to cruising because of the value proposition of cruising – the fact that your fare, your travel, your accommodation, your entertainment, your food are all included,” he said.

“We haven’t seen the same downturn – in fact we’ve seen a bit of a boom in cruising while the rest of the tourism industry has fallen by the wayside. ”

The Pacific Sun’s presence is expected to provide a $10 million dollar boost to the local economy bringing more than 18,000 passengers and crew to Brisbane for trips to the South Pacific and along the Queensland coast.

Mr Fisk says Brisbane is the second biggest port for cruising anywhere after Sydney.

“Queenslanders are taking on cruising with quite a lot of zeal and we’re seeing a lot bigger growth in cruising than in airlines or international travel.”