Senior government ministers—including Tourism and Hospitality Minister Louise Upston—joined cruise industry leaders from CLIA, NZCA, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, PONANT and Heritage Expeditions in Wellington on 23 July to establish a new whole-of-government strategy for international cruise tourism.
Discussions centred on coordination across sectors like customs, biosecurity, immigration, transport and regional development to support sustainable cruise growth.
Cruise tourism delivers economic impact
Cruise visitors contribute over NZ$1 billion annually to New Zealand’s economy and support about 10,000 jobs nationwide, according to CLIA’s Australasian head Joel Katz. NZCA CEO Jacqui Lloyd added that effective government collaboration ensures that cruise tourism delivers maximum benefits to communities, suppliers and regional businesses across the country.
A roadmap for sustainable expansion
Minister Upston confirmed that cruise connectivity is now a key workstream in New Zealand’s Tourism Growth Roadmap, with targets to double export tourism value by 2034. Infrastructure investment—including Auckland Port upgrades—is planned to enhance capacity, resilience and environmental sustainability, reinforcing the nation’s commitment to green business innovation and maximizing cruise’s long-term potential.
Photograph: At last night’s meeting (from left), Carnival Corporation Senior Vice President & Country Manager, and CLIA Chairman in Australasia, Peter Little; Celebrity Cruises Vice President & Managing Director Australia & APAC Tim Jones; Minister for Customs and Associate Minister for Immigration Casey Costello; Minister for Tourism and Hospitality Louise Upston; Minister for the South Island and Associate Minister for Transport James Meager; Minister for Auckland Simeon Brown; Minister for Biosecurity Andrew Hoggard; Ponant CEO Asia-Pacific Deb Corbett; and NZCA CEO Jacqui Lloyd.
