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The WA Government acknowledges that cruising is critical to the WA tourism sector, and before the pandemic, this industry injected hundreds of millions of dollars into the State's economy. With 106 cruise ship visits to WA in 2019-20, cruise shipping generated $261.9 million for WA's economy - an increase from $228.9 million in 2018-19 - and supported about 935 jobs.

Tourism WA is committed to the successful restart of cruise shipping and the opportunities it brings. Following the Australian Government removing restrictions on cruise ships entering Australian waters and ports under the Biosecurity Act 2015 from 17 April 2022, and based on advice from WA's Chief Health Officer, WA moved to a safe and measured return of cruising, commencing with small expedition ships carrying up to 350 passengers and crew.

Following a successful Kimberley cruising season in 2022, Western Australia is well and truly ready to welcome bigger ships back to the State, with Carnival Australia's Coral Princess the first to visit Fremantle port, after a period of approximately two and a half years on October 28th 2022, with her maiden call to Fremantle. This luxury cruise liner is the first large cruise vessel to return to the State, and this call heralds the start of a bumper few months for cruising in WA with more than 10,000 passengers expected to sail into the State before Christmas.

Cruise shipping helps visitors to experience different regions of the State and showcases WA's unique onshore attractions that are accessible from our 10 port destinations - each offering distinct tourism experiences, from swimming with whale sharks in Exmouth to visiting the National ANZAC Centre in Albany. The State's Mediterranean climate in the south and tropical climate in the north also means WA can support cruise ship visits year-round.

Since 2012, Tourism WA has invested significantly to implement the WA Cruise Shipping Strategy 2012 - 2020 activities, and it committed to continuing to build the State's cruise tourism sector. Activities have included raising the awareness of WA's cruise destinations, cruise line attraction, landside shore excursion development, building the capacity of regional tour guides and volunteers, and identifying marine infrastructure challenges. Tourism WA plans to  intensify cruise line attraction activity with the aim of growing economic and job outcomes for Western Australia by securing new cruise lines to visit the State, expanding the itineraries of existing cruise ships already coming to the State, and by attracting more seasonal home-ported vessels to call Fremantle home.  

Cruise shipping research

  • To learn more about the projected recovery of the Australian Cruise Industry by 2023, take a look at the 2022 State of the Cruise Industry Report.
  • Together with Tourism Research Australia, we commissioned a study to get a better understanding of cruise travel in WA and passengers’ experiences at various ports and destinations. Visit Tourism Research Australia's website to read the Evaluating the WA cruise visitor experience report.   

Cruise shipping handy reference guide

We have developed a Cruise shipping handy reference guide (PDF 12.5MB) to help you make the most of cruise ship visits in your region. The guide includes information on meeting cruise line/passenger expectations, how cruise lines work in regard to shore excursions and the benefits of cruise ships visits for your business and community.

WA's 10 cruise port destinations 

​Find out more about WA's 10 key ports.

Last Reviewed: 2023-01-25