Pros and cons of cruise ships: Editor’s perspective

For every Cantabrian who is happy to see the cruise ships back in Lyttelton, there is another who is upset about them.

Uncertainty and concerns swirl around the environmental impacts that they have, and their value to the ports settlements where they dock.

The past few weeks have seen numerous cruise ships pull in to the new $67 million Lyttelton berth. The cruise ship season, which runs until April 10, 2023, will see 85 cruise ships tie up in Lyttelton Harbour, carrying about 170,000 passengers and 35,000 crew.

Akaroa, which held the fort while the Lyttelton wharf was constructed, will host at least 15 ships, carrying another 8000 passengers and 1000 crew.

Overall the cruise season is expected to inject $262 million into the local economy, which is great news, even though many small tourism operators in the region won’t see a cent.

I’ve been on several cruises of varying vessel sizes and travel durations, and the formula is usually the same. The tourists pre-book excursions, disembark and head away from the entry ports without spending any money locally.

Excitement does pervade the atmosphere when a large ship sails into port, yet often that is where it ends. There’s a reason why Venice, Dubrovnik, Dublin, Amsterdam, Marseille, Barcelona, and Santorini have banned large cruise ships in recent times. They want to protect their heritage from environmental damage and the knock-on effects of overtourism. Think about it.