By EMILY IANNELLO
GEELONG is missing out on Victoria’s busiest cruise season yet.
Eighty-five cruises will visit but only three will arrive in Geelong, which lacks waterfront berthing facilities.
Twenty-three ships could have visited if Geelong had “the right infrastructure”, according to the city’s tourism boss.
Tourism Greater Geelong and the Bellarine executive director Roger Grant said cruise ship captains preferred docking at piers rather than swing moorings, which are used in Geelong so water taxis can ferry visitors ashore.
“Many people struggle to get in and off the boat’s swing mooring.”
Mr Grant said cruises were the tourism industry’s fastest growing sector.
“It’s an area that’s going to grow. The cruise ships are looking for different ports, they don’t want to follow the same route.
“If we could deliver the appropriate infrastructure we could reap the benefits. We’re missing out because we can’t provide the needs of the cruise ship companies.”
Mr Grant said cruise companies and passengers were “very positive” about Geelong but wanted to step off the ship “into the heart of the city”.
The region’s councils alliance body, G21, has identified building a Yarra Street Pier for visiting ships as a priority project.
Cruise and navy ships previously berthed at historic Cunningham Pier until it became unavailable to them.
Studies suggest the proposed Yarra Street Pier could be worth millions of dollars annually to the region’s economy.
The project would require funding from state and federal governments.
City of Greater Geelong chief executive officer Gillian Miles said the next step was making the pier proposal “market-ready”.
“This will entail further data analysis, detailed design and ongoing market assessment,” she said.
State Government said the Australian cruise industry was growing 20 per cent a year.
One million Australians would cruise annually by 2016, the Government said.
Other cities are also benefiting from the surge, with Sydney expecting a record 290-plus cruises this season.
A Cruise Down Under study said cruises contributed $3.16 billion to the Australian economy in 2013/2014.
Geelong’s season will host Seabourn Odyssey, which can carry over 450 passengers, on 20 January and 21 February. The Marina, with a capacity of more than 1200, will arrive on 15 February.
Geelong council tourism portfolio holder Ron Nelson said many of the passengers would be American.
“The benefit of having these visitors here is huge,” he said.
