Australia’s cruise industry has renewed its successful partnership with Tourism Australia, uniting the country’s cruise community around a mission to increase international visitation and grow the national visitor economy.

The Australian Cruise Association (ACA) and Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding with Tourism Australia, extending a partnership first established in 2023.

Under the agreement, the two associations will work with Tourism Australia to collectively grow inbound demand for Australia and to make Australia the premier cruising destination for high-yield travellers, with a focus on growing overnight visitor expenditure.

ACA CEO Jill Abel said the three organisations had successfully enhanced the profile of Australia as a cruise destination and increased awareness of the potential in cruise tourism.

“Australia has more than 30,000km of coastline and an incredible diversity of destinations that are open to explore by sea, so cruising is a natural for anyone considering a holiday in Australia,” Mrs Abel said.

“By working together with Tourism Australia, we are increasing awareness of Australia’s cruise potential among the wider travel industry and international markets.”

CLIA Managing Director in Australasia Joel Katz said cruise tourism was a significant contributor to Australia’s economy.

“Australia welcomed almost 250,000 international cruise passengers last year, making cruise one of the country’s biggest sources of overseas visitors,” Mr Katz said.

“Our partnership between CLIA, the ACA and Tourism Australia unites us in our mission to attract more cruise ships, welcome more cruise visitors, and increase the A$8.43 billion-a-year contribution that cruising makes to the Australian economy.”

Tourism Australia Executive General Manager Industry Sally Cope said cruising continues to be an integral part of Australia’s visitor economy.

“We are excited to be continuing our partnership with ACA and CLIA and collaborating on industry opportunities to capitalise on international cruising to Australia, particularly for dispersing international visitors to regional parts of the country,” Ms Cope said.

The Memorandum of Understanding was announced at the Australian Cruise Association annual conference in Fremantle, Western Australia.

Pictured main: Australian Cruise Association (ACA) CEO Jill Abel; Tourism Australia Executive General Manager Industry Sally Cope; and Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Managing Director in Australasia Joel Katz, at the ACA Conference in Fremantle.