More cruise ships to visit Picton this summer bringing more than good vibes

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Many Picton shops are hives of activity when cruise ships are in town.

Anthony Phelps/STUFF

Many Picton shops are hives of activity when cruise ships are in town.

Picton is expecting a bumper cruise ship season this summer with the knock-on economic effects likely to benefit the entire region, says a Marlborough tourism chief.

A total of 55 ships are booked to visit the port between October and April 2024. Last summer, 47 docked after the country opened its maritime borders for the first time in two-and-a-half-years following their closure at the start of the pandemic. Fifty-five ships were scheduled to arrive in the 2019-20 season but seven had to cancel due to Covid.

Bruce Moffat, general manager at Destination Marlborough, said with the extra cruise ships visiting over the summer and the fact that tourism operators had more time to plan than last year, this season was shaping up nicely.

“Last year was a different space, it was very last minute, there were staffing issues and all sorts of things across the cruising industry with people only having five minutes to get everything ready.

Anthony Phelps/Stuff

Picton was humming on Wednesday as the port town welcomed back its first cruise ship since March, 2020.

“But this year we’re really excited because we’ve had lots of time to be able to plan, and working with the shore excursion companies, we can do really great things,” he said.

Moffat said one ship making its first visit to Picton this summer would be Virgin Voyages’ 2700-passenger cruise liner Resilient Lady.

“It’s quite exciting to have another cruise line coming in, and it’s really exciting to have a company like Virgin to be visiting our shores,” he said.

Moffat said cruise ship passengers visiting Picton brought a “vibe” to the region as well as an economic boost for Marlborough as a whole.

The Majestic Princess was one of 47 cruise ships that visited Picton last summer after the maritime borders reopened.

Anthony Phelps/Stuff

The Majestic Princess was one of 47 cruise ships that visited Picton last summer after the maritime borders reopened.

About a third of the passengers would arrange pre-booked tours, while another third would usually get out and explore the region themselves, Moffat said.

“Passengers come off the boat and go ‘hey what a great place to be at, let’s go and discover it a bit further’ and often these people have planned and dreamed of being in the Marlborough area, so they’ve got an opportunity for a day or an afternoon and off they go and discover it in their own time.

“It’s an absolute boost right across the region, some people will get off in Picton and hire a car and off they go, and they travel around Marlborough for the day, that’s the perfect opportunity where they’re actually getting right around the whole region.

“It’s a fantastic economic driver, and it certainly creates a vibe over summer when we’ve got all of these wonderful guests who are coming into Marlborough and spending their well-earned money here – it’s exciting,” he said.

Picton heaves with cruise ship passengers when the big boats are in town.

Anthony Phelps/STUFF

Picton heaves with cruise ship passengers when the big boats are in town.

Meanwhile, Port Marlborough’s Port and Marine general manager Ryan Lock said they had been working closely with Marlborough District Council, Destination Marlborough and local operators to ensure plans and logistics were ready for the season.

“The iReX ferry terminal precinct development project is well underway, and there have been some changes to roading layouts around the port and Interislander terminal area as this construction takes place.

“We are working closely with shipping agents and bus companies to ensure passenger shuttling services run as smoothly as possible and that roading detours are well signposted,” he said.

Lock said collaborating with the Picton community remained a key focus for Port Marlborough.

“(It’s about) finding that sweet spot where our local economy can benefit, and our community can accommodate the number of passengers and feels proud to host them.”

Figures from Stats NZ show that in 2020, cruise ships brought in $29.1m to the Marlborough economy.

Recent cruise ship numbers

2018-19: 44

2019-20: 48

2020-21: 0

2021-22: 0

2022-23: 47

2023-24: 55

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