Big Bluff boost
Record number of cruise ships due
When you think of idyllic destinations to visit on a cruise ship, Bluff might not be top of the list.
However there will be 19 cruise ship visits to the southern port this summer, bringing thousands of passengers to the deep south.
What Bluff lacks in palm trees and sandy beaches is made up for by connecting passengers with nature and the town’s history, Bluff publicity and promotions officer Lindsay Beer said.
“There are trips organised on board, but we’re working with Great South and South Port to get as much information about Bluff in front of those passengers as we possibly can, so if they want to get off the ship and go for a wander, they know about the maritime museum, the walking tracks on Bluff Hill and the galleries, shops, restaurants and cafes in town,’’ he said.
The only unfortunate aspect was that the cruise ship visits did not coincide with the Bluff oyster season, so passengers were unable to try the local delicacy, he said.
“This year is the most visits we’ve ever had, and we’re treating it as a learning year in terms of looking at what the cruise companies want, and there’s a lot of scope for growth. Any influx of people will be great for the town.”
Great South general manager of tourism and events Mark Frood said the organisation was thrilled to have so many cruise boats coming in to Bluff this season.
“It’s a great opportunity for our region, to show off our new Invercargill city centre as well as tourism products further afield, and we know there are day visits booked as far as Mandeville, Gore and the Catlins,’’ he said.
“Cruise ship companies are focused on being good community citizens and they want to make sure passengers get to experience local activities.
“This is a great thing for Southland businesses and I would encourage especially those in Bluff, Gore and Invercargill City to check in on the schedule.”
Research Great South completed last year showed southern communities wanted more tourism – 85% of residents surveyed wanted to see tourism grow, so long as it was well managed, and of those, 30% wanted to see significant growth.
He said the boats visiting Bluff were quite small, with 350 to 600 passengers, and they were high-yield passengers.
“This all points towards a recovery for tourism post Covid and it will be great to expose the new central business district to some hustle and bustle. It also helps diversify from what has traditionally been a domestic tourism market for Invercargill.
“The opportunity is that if all goes well, we can establish these as regular visits each summer’’.
Environment Southland regional harbourmaster and maritime manager Lyndon Cleaver said for the upcoming cruise ship season the regional council was expecting 124 cruise ships through Milford Sound.
”There will be 26 cruise ships visiting Rakiura Stewart Island,’’ he said.
The regional council expected to collect a revenue of $3,731,829 plus GST, from the visits, but allowed for a 10% variance for weather-related cancellations from the cruise ship visits.
“It’s positive to see that the numbers have returned to preCovid bookings as this allows for us to continue to use the revenue to fund projects, including the extension of the Fiordland Undaria Removal project, following on from the completion of the Jobs for Nature funding.”
So how did passengers typically spend their time in Bluff?
The Silver Muse would visit Bluff five times this summer as part of its itinerary from Auckland to Sydney.
The ship, owned by Silversea Cruises, would carry 596 guests in 298 cabins and 411 crew members in 262 cabins.
The company’s website showed passengers had two excursions included in their itinerary – one to Transport World and Motorcycle Mecca, and the other, called the Southland Panorama, took in Stirling Point, Bluff Hill, Queens Park and E Hayes hardware store to see Burt
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