Segments featuring cruise holidays are boosting morning television ratings for the Seven Network.

Seven Network's Director of Morning Television Sarah Stinson told the Mumbrella Travel Marketing Summit “cruising is so big for our viewers”.

“I cannot begin to tell you… Every time we do a segment, we see at least 10 per cent ratings increase,” she said.

Stinson said viewers were seeking authenticity and trust in their travel marketing.

“[AI has completely overtaken and] they don’t actually know what they’re getting,” she said.

“So with us, we’re finding, particularly in the tourism sector, it has absolutely taken off.

“We’ve had some really big campaigns over the past six weeks that have done ridiculous numbers. And I think it’s because we curate a lot of the content for people. They know that if they’re watching a program like ours, it’s trusted. They know who’s delivering the message.

"Our hosts are well-known. There’s that connection. We know how to tell stories as well. So nothing with us is a hard sell. We’re not gonna do a series or a segment on things that we don’t believe in….

“And people want that escape at the moment. The news cycle is so heavy, that travel is giving this amazing lift.”

She said traditional television segments on travel were still performing strongly, despite emerging tools such as ChatGPT.

“With us, it’s trusted,” she said. “There’s so much choice online, and we all spend hours and hours and hours going through things, but sometimes you just want to be told ‘You know what? This [is the go-to] destination.’ ‘Where’s everyone travelling at the moment?’ ‘Where’s a good place for an exchange rate?’

"We do so many stories just breaking it down for people. And, yes, you can get it on ChatGPT, but how do you know you can trust that? Which is something our viewers would be thinking.”

This desire for simpler options was also driving people towards booking cruises, particularly families.

“So you pay your money, you’ve got your food there, you’ve got your activities, somebody’s done it all for you and you’re all together,” she said.

The Mumbrella Travel Marketing Summit was held on 28 August 2025 at Crown Sydney.

Destination NSW supports cruise tourism growth

Destination NSW supports visitor economy businesses to make the most out of cruise visitation through its NSW First program.

The program provides tips and tools for working with the cruise industry to join a cruise line’s official shore excursion program, plus information on how retailers and hospitality venues can benefit from cruise ship visits.

The latest resource is an on-demand webinar—Creating unforgettable cruise shore experiences—that explores current cruising trends and the value of the cruise sector.

It provides practical tips for creating shore experiences that meet cruise passenger expectations, success stories from visitor economy businesses already thriving in the cruise market and information about cruise distribution channels and how to effectively collaborate with the cruise travel trade.

Learn more here.