$11.2m cruise terminal deal
CRUISE ship passengers won't have to put up with sweltering conditions or wet season rains from the end of next year with the announcement of an $11.22 million upgrade of the Trinity Wharf cruise terminal.
Premier Anna Bligh and Tourism Minister Desley Boyle last night released details of the project to The Cairns Post, saying it would be completed by late next year.
"These new facilities will help grow a key industry for Cairns," Ms Bligh said.
"First impressions count and this new cruise terminal will act as a gateway for international travellers to one of the most beautiful regions in the world."
The announcement of the upgrade brings long-awaited relief for the cruise ship industry which conservatively puts more than $30 million into the Cairns economy annually.
Cruise line operators told The Cairns Post last week that while Cairns was one of their favoured destinations, wharfside facilities left a lot to be desired.
"Passengers often have to get off and on in heavy wet season rain and go through what are really just sweltering sheds," one international operator said.
The redevelopment will see the No.3 shed turned into an air-conditioned terminal with new check-in areas and bus and taxi drop-off areas with covered links and a new gangway ramp.
The No.2 shed, which is the present terminal, will be
refurbished. No decision has been made about its future use at this stage.
All the historical and heritage elements of the wharf such as the old clock tower will be retained in the development.
Ms Boyle said the cruise shipping industry generated more than $132 million for the Queensland economy each year.
"It’s vital we provide comfortable facilities and quick arrival processes for those passengers coming ashore to spend time, and money, in Cairns," she said.
The terminal upgrade would be able to accommodate two large cruise ships carrying up to 1800 transit passengers.
It would also be able to operate as a home port for a ship based in Cairns which was up to 200m long and carrying 600
passengers.
"It has been conservatively estimated that a 1500 passenger vessel injects about $1 million into the local economy per base port call," Ms Boyle said.
Thirty-five cruise liners are scheduled to visit Cairns this season and it has been estimated this could rise to more than 50 by 2025.
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Revamp: Artist's impression of the new Cairns cruise ship terminal.
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