Mark Sleigh with Visit Wollongong’s business development manager Tracey Pascoe at the ACA conference in Townsville
The Australian Cruise Association’s milestone 25th annual conference next year will be held in Wollongong on the south coast of New South Wales, August 30-September 1.
Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas was the first cruise ship to visit Wollongong in 2016.
Destination Wollongong GM Mark Sleigh told delegates at ACA 2022 in Townsville last week that thousands of locals turned out to welcome that ship.
Sleigh said in the /19 cruise season three ships arrived in Wollongong, carrying more than 11,500 passengers and 3,200 crew.
Short distance from Sydney
He said Wollongong is only about 1.5-hours’drive from Sydney and the journey by rail takes around one hour and 44 minutes.
‘We are looking forward to bringing the conference back to New South Wales for this special occasion,’ ACA CEOJill Abel said.
‘The last time the event was held in the state was in Sydney for the 20th anniversary.
Regional port network
‘It is important for us to continue to support Australia’s regional port network which faced a particularly challenging time over the past couple of years.
‘These destinations will play an increasingly important role in the re-growth of the cruise tourism sector in Australia, providing new opportunities for cruise lines to include them on itineraries.
‘As such, this will be the fifth year our conference has been held outside a gateway city.’
