Leckey took part in a site inspection of the new Auckland International Cruise Terminal on Wednesday and was impressed that it is on track to open in March 2027 with a throughput of 1500 passengers an hour.
‘On top of that I have been pleased to hear the veiled promises of increased local deployments in 2028-29.’
He says some of the luxury brands have already released their plans for that year – including Azamara scheduling Auckland to Auckland turnarounds that are already on sale.
Contemporary lines hinted at increased activity in New Zealand for 2028-29 but were light on detail.
‘The fact they are talking about it is positive,’ says Leckey, ‘and is good to hear these (schedules) will be released in September and October.
‘Dealing with the New Zealand market we need to get them into the funnel in the first place. The way to do that is through close to home, it’s easy and often means they don’t need to fly.’
