Once National Party MP for Oxley Melinda Pavey was appointed NSW Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight in January 2017 she met with representatives of international cruise lines and cruise industry lobbyists on at least six occasions before that year ended 1.
In fact the cruise ship industry has been busy lobbying any state minister2 that is seen as even remotely capable of advancing its greedy drive for more harbour access along the New South Wales coast.
I would be greatly surprised if at any of these meetings any mention was made of the fact that cruise ship tourism is often seen as a nuisance to be avoided by those land-based tourists who actually like to holiday near harbours, bays and river estuaries and who freely spend their money there.
So to fill a possible knowledge gap I offer these ministers a few quotes..........
“There are few places in
the world with sunset views as spectacular as Santorini, but the tiny island in
the Greek Cyclades is reaching breaking point. Almost two million people
visited in 2017, 850,000 on cruise ships which drop anchor in its caldera, with
passengers staying for a matter of hours rather than days. While those numbers
have been capped to 8,000 a day by the island's mayor, with a rising population
due to the tourist boom, Santorini is in serious danger of losing its charm.”
[CNN
Travel, 12
destinations travellers might want to avoid in 2018, 24 January
2018]
“My spouse and I are
going to Belize for two weeks next month and would like to make a
trip to Roatan. We have been to Belize twice already and love to snorkel so we
would love to check out Roatan as it's an easy flight from Belize City. We are
concerned however about crowds as we heard Roatan is a cruise ship port. How
large is the island? Any recommendations for a place to stay on the island that
is far enough away from the cruise ships that we can avoid the crowds and the
high prices? Somewhere far enough away that cruise ship passengers wouldnt
spent their time going to for just a day but close enough for us to spend a few
days? Thank you.” [Trip
Advisor, 25 February 2017]
“Cozumel and Grand
Cayman can get overrun with passengers from the giant cruise ships that call
there. The only way to avoid the cruise crowds is to dive at off-peak times or
to go with a dive operator who knows the secret spots.” [Wendy Perrin, 10
March 2017]
If you really want to be
on the fjords I’d recommend staying in a village nearby Ålesund,
Geiranger, and Trollstigen, but also not too close to any of them. Definitely
avoid Geiranger itself, as it’s crammed with hotels and only really offers
views of cruise ships and tourist buses. [Heart My
Backpack, 11 April 2017]
“For centuries their remote location off the far north of Scotland ensured that they remained an idyllic outpost of tranquillity. Now the Orkney Islands, once pillaged and settled by the Vikings, are struggling to cope with an invasion of cruise-ship passengers. Residents of the archipelago, which has a population of just over 20,000, will be joined by more than 120,000 visitors this summer. The waterborne influx is putting attractions such as Skara Brae, Europe’s best-preserved Neolithic settlement, under strain. Such is the desperation of the island authorities that they are looking at introducing berthing permits and charges in an attempt to ease the congestion. Last year there was an outcry when dozens of German tourists barged their way into a funeral at St Magnus Cathedral…” [The Sunday Times, 16 May 2017]
i'm happy to report that
my husband and i have planned and booked our first visit to key west! we will
be there for five days the first week of june, so four weeks from today! i'm
super happy to report this, because it is how we are celebrating our 10th wedding
anniversary, and i won the 'argument' over which trip to take. my husband
wanted to do a western caribbean cruise, and i didn't (we've cruised before, me
more than him). my point was that cruises are crowded and rushed. i sold this
as a 'land cruise'--we will be driving down from MIA over the course of two
days, stopping in key largo and marathon to really take our time getting there.
we are super excited about it. and....then i checked the port schedule. there
will be a ship in port all but one of the days of our visit, and on tuesday
there are two (and i fear one is a disney ship). we don't have kids. we don't
particularly like kids (sorry). and we definitely do not love huge crowds. so
i'm looking for tips on how to best approach our time in key west, knowing that
it is going to be pretty packed. [Trip
Advisor, 9 May 2016]
“On the day I planned to
visit St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace, I had company from about half
a dozen cruise ships. Consequently, St. Mark's Square, the locale of these
attractions, was flooded with tourists, way more compared with other days. Plan
around these behemoths of the seas. Visit top attractions on days with few
cruise ships in port, or get there early. Consult Cruise TT for
a calendar of cruise ship arrivals.” [Los
Angeles Times, 23 July 2015]
“We will be in Dubrovnik
Saturday thru Tuesday (or perhaps Wed) in September. A friend has told us that
the cruise ships fill the old town with tourist hordes. Does anyone know if
they arrive every day or if they leave by certain time or anything that might
help us avoid these crowds? thanks in advance roland” [Rick
Steves’ Europe, 4 December 2015]
“Just off the coast of
Mexico's Riviera Maya lies the small island of Cozumel, a Caribbean gem of an
island. Due to its close proximity to the United States, Cozumel welcomes
thousands of visitors each day. Scuba diving is the defining attraction here:
with many world-class reefs only minutes away from shore. If you don't dive or
snorkel, nor enjoy spending time in or next to the ocean, Cozumel is probably
not for you. The tourism industry is developing rapidly here, creating two
distinct groups of visitors: those divers staying in the Cozumel Hotels and
the people straight from the gigantic cruise ships. Sometimes as many as
11 ships (with plans for more) unload their human cargo onto the island in just
a few hours. This means that you could be sharing Cozumel's somewhat limited
space, with as many as 6,000 other day-trippers. I've seen many divers and
hotel guests become extremely frustrated and annoyed by this cruise ship
phenomenon, having to share resources and endure price gouges. So, I'm here to
offer you a friendly guide with some handy suggestions and advice for best
avoiding the herds.” [Travel
Notes, undated]
FOOTNOTE
1. Minister Pavey's 2017 meetings were with Royal Caribbean (28 February & 8 June), Carnival
Australia (10 March, 8 June & 8 July), Carnival Global (21 March), Norwegian Cruise Lines (8 June), Cruise Line International Association (8 June & 21 June).
2. Some Berjiklian government ministers who also appear to be on the cruise ship industry's lobbying list are:
Deputy Premier, Minister for Regional NSW, Minister for Skills, Minister for Small Business, Nationals MP for John Barilaro;
2. Some Berjiklian government ministers who also appear to be on the cruise ship industry's lobbying list are:
Deputy Premier, Minister for Regional NSW, Minister for Skills, Minister for Small Business, Nationals MP for John Barilaro;
Minister for Tourism
and Major Events, and Assistant Minister for Skills, Nationals MP for Northern Tablelands, Adam Marshall;
Minister for Trade,
Tourism and Major Events and Minister for Sport, Nationals MLC Niall Blair; and
Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Nationals MP for Bega Andrew Constance.
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