Is Brisbane set to steal Sydney’s cruise market crown?

Brisbane could be home to a new mega cruise ship terminal, leaving Sydney to potentially lose out on the same traffic.

The $100 million proposed terminal at Luggage Point could spring up in just three years and would be able to capable to host the world’s biggest ocean liners servicing up to 5 million passengers, the Brisbane Times reveals.

However according to the report, Sydney wants a piece of the same action and subsequent rewards.

“Those footing the bill for Port of Brisbane’s new facility say it’s become a race. Whoever finishes their cruise ship terminal first will win millions of tourist dollars, they say,” the Brisbane Times report states.

BT reports Carnival Cruises Australia Chief Executive Ann Sherry saying Sydney’s cruise ship facilities will hit capacity by 2017, and is approaching its 2030 estimates for cruise infrastructure but plans are already in place to expand.

Sherry was reported as saying Sydney would reach 440 ship berths per year in 2017 at a single cruise ship terminal.

“And we know that berth will almost be at capacity in 2017,” she said, the paper reported.

“So, he who gets in first wins.”

Port of Brisbane chief executive Roy Cummins outlined the project to industry representatives yesterday, but is still awaiting state government approval and from the Port of Brisbane board, the paper reports.

“But all being well, we could commence construction in 2017 and have an operational facility in 2019,” Cummins said.

Brisbane is the second biggest cruise ship market in Australia, and the new terminal could contribute $1 billion in gross output to Queensland’s economy.

Sherry was reported as saying she had been lobbying for a large cruise terminal in Brisbane for nine years.

“The potential here in Brisbane is obvious,” Ms Sherry said.

While Carnival’s larger liners have had to berth at big grain wharf at the Port of Brisbane, Sherry said it is a “functional experience” but “not a very good tourism experience”, the paper reports.

“(And) we know that people spend more money and come back to locations where they have great tourism experience, as opposed to a functional experience,” she said, the paper reports.

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