The Influencers: Alison Adams

Cruising along

Cruise season is upon us, and the tide is turning as we welcome a steady flow of visitors to our city.

On 27 October, the Celebrity Eclipse docked at the new Lyttelton terminal, marking the beginning of the cruise season and the first passenger vessel on Canterbury shores for over two years.

The new Lyttelton cruise terminal means more to the region than just a rebuild. Akaroa, designed for lighter capacity, has taken the load since the Canterbury quakes. With our new infrastructure in place we are better able to manage visitation in a way that provides a better outcome for residents, businesses and our environment.

And importantly for our local tourism and hospitality industries that have faced challenging times, there will be a spending boost with a steady schedule of ships docking until mid-April. This includes Ovation of the Seas, that will dock four times carrying over 4000 passengers each time.

I was delighted at the success of our call for Cruise Ambassadors, those who volunteered to share their knowledge, pride and enthusiasm for Christchurch. If you’re interested in a Cruise Ambassador role, do get in touch at Cruise@christchurchnz.com. Our city is on show to thousands of visitors who will come to our shores for a short time and we want these passengers to have such a memorable experience that they will share their stories with friends and family and come and visit us again!