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Australia’s Latest Ship Pacific Aria Makes Maiden Call to Cairns

Cairnshas welcomed Australia’s latest cruise ship with P&O Cruises' Pacific Ariamaking her maiden call to the city today.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

Heralded as a game-changer for the Australiancruise industry, the 55,820-tonne Pacific Aria docked at the Cairns Cruise LinerTerminal in the heart of the city this morning. Pacific Aria will remain in thecity overnight, providing her 1500 guests with ample opportunity to exploreCairns and surrounds before departing tomorrow evening on her return journey toBrisbane.

Theship’s two-day visit is expected to inject hundreds of thousands of dollarsinto the local economy through guest and crew spending and port charges. P&OCruises was honoured to welcome on board Cairns Regional Council Mayor Cr BobManning and senior officials from Ports North.

PacificAria will return to Cairns on two further occasions this year (Dec 20-21 andDec 30-31), while her sister ship Pacific Eden will make her maiden call to thecity on December 22, in advance of her first season of cruises from Cairns inlate 2016. The two ships will be regulars in Cairns making 17 calls betweenthem in 2016, increasing to 30 calls in 2017.

PacificEden will be the first cruise ship to ever be based in Cairns when she sailsfrom the city on a series of nine cruises between September and November 2016,including new seven-night cruises to Papua New Guinea. The ship will return toCairns in 2017 for a second season of sailing, offering 10 cruises from Cairnsfrom August to November 2017, including the first ever international sea break,a four-night cruise from Cairns to Papua New Guinea. Each season is expected to inject more than$8 million into the local economy.

PacificAria and Pacific Eden joined the P&O Cruises fleet last month, with theships named in a spectacular ceremony on Sydney Harbour which brought thecruise line’s five-ship fleet together for the first time. The two latest shipstake local cruising to the next level with a stunning design which reflects the contemporary style of modern Australia,while capturing the relaxed and sometimes cheeky spirit Australians are knownfor. The ships feature multipledining options including a plush private dining room and Luke Mangan’s Saltgrill, luxe new bars, a resort-style pool deck and a child-free Oasis withprivate cabanas.

P&O Cruises Senior Vice President Sture Myrmell said the addition ofPacific Eden and Pacific Aria to the cruise line’s fleet had enabled P&O toexpand its home port offering across six different cities, including Cairns –P&O’s first regional homeport.

“With the growth of our fleet we’ve not only been able to offer morecruises which visit great ports such as Cairns and Port Douglas, we’ve alsobeen able to base a ship in Cairns so that north Queensland residents can enjoycruises from their own doorstep,” Mr Myrmell said.

“It’s great news for holidaymakers and it’s also wonderful news for theQueensland economy.”

In welcoming the ship to Cairns, Ports North Chairman Russell Beer saidhe was thrilled P&O’s latest ships were set to become regulars in the port.

“This is the first time a major cruise line has based itself in aregional Queensland city, and we are honoured to have Pacific Eden and PacificAria visiting the Port of Cairns during the peak cruise months.”

Tourism Tropical North Queensland Chief Executive Officer Alex de Waalsaid the arrival of Pacific Aria to Cairns was the start of a strongrelationship with P&O's latest ships.

“With three visits to Cairns in December before her sister ship PacificEden arrives on December 22, Pacific Aria will bring a welcome economic boost toTropical North Queensland in the lead up to what is expected to be a busyChristmas and New Year,” he said.

Accordingto industry figures, Queensland is the second biggest source market forAustralian cruisers with nearly 240,000 Queenslanders cruising in 2014, anincrease of 21 per cent on the previous year.

Queenslandis also home to more cruise destinations than any other state in Australia,with P&O ships now sailing to 11 destinations along its coast. In recentyears P&O has opened up a range of new Queensland ports includingMooloolaba, Moreton Island and as of yesterday, Hamilton Island, while Gladstoneand Fraser Island are set to be added in the coming months.

Aseven-night Papua New Guinea cruise from Cairns on Pacific Eden starts from $749*per person quad share.

For more informationvisit pocruises.com.au, or see a licensed travel agent.

*Price is per personquad share. Subject to availability, conditions apply.

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