"Cruising Victoria" strategy launched

The Government has launched a "Cruising Victoria" strategy, a three-year plan to attract more cruise ships and tourism dollars to Victoria.

The launch took place at Station Pier, where one of the world's best cruise liners, the QE2, was berthed.

Cruising Victoria provides a strategy for improving pier and passenger facilities, transport access and the marketing of Melbourne as a cruise ship destination.

The Victorian Government has already invested more than $4 million to improve berthing and passenger facilities at Station Pier.

The International Passenger Terminal has had a $2.2-million refurbishment and the Outer West Berth has been upgraded at a cost of $2 million.

The new strategy details the additional infrastructure and resources required to achieve the Government's goal of attracting more than 30 cruise ship visits to Melbourne each year.

Twenty-six cruise ships are expected to visit Port Phillip Bay during the cruise shipping season, from November to April, bringing $1 million per ship to Victoria's coffers.

This compares with a total of 19 visits last year.

Eleven ships will dock in Port Phillip Bay in February alone, the largest number of ships in one month to dock in Port Phillip Bay since the 1960s.

Around 35,000 passengers are expected to come into Melbourne during the course of the season.

The strategy has been prepared by the Department of Infrastructure with the assistance of Tourism Victoria, the Melbourne Port Corporation and the Melbourne Cruise Ship Committee (MCSC).

MCSC comprises representatives from a wide range of government and private agencies associated with cruise shipping and will be responsible for monitoring the implementation of the strategy.

(News Release, Offices of the Minister for Roads and Ports and the Minister for Small Business and Tourism, February 11, 1999)