Queensland welcomes Queen Mary 2 to Brisbane

Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones has inspected the impressive Queen Mary 2 after the ship docked in Brisbane this morning. 

Carnival’s flagship vessel - almost twice the size of the original Queen Mary – is preparing to take passengers to the Whitsunday Islands, Bali, Darwin and Singapore.

Ms Jones said Queensland was experiencing continued growth in the cruising industry.

“Queensland is Australia’s top cruise destination and the industry is vital to our economy - worth $1.1 billion and more than 4300 jobs across the state,” she said.

“The Palaszczuk Government is absolutely committed to ensuring there is a permanent home for the cruise ship industry here in Queensland and I’m pleased to say work is already underway on the $158 million Brisbane international cruise ship terminal at the Port of Brisbane.

This project will support 245 jobs during each year of construction and when complete will be able to accommodate the largest cruise ships in the world, a class of vessel more than 270 metres long.

“I’m delighted that almost 3000 QM2 passengers will get to experience first-hand some of the best of what Queensland has to offer.

Ms Jones said a record 468 cruise ships visited Queensland in 2016-17.

“We expect we’ll break our record for cruise ship visits again with forward projections showing we’ll attract 518 cruise ships this year,” she said.

“Strengthening our links with key markets is an important part of our strategy to build up Queensland’s tourism industry.

“That’s why the Palaszczuk Government is investing $48 million in the Attracting Tourism Fund to attract more cruise ships and direct flights to our great state.”

Cairns, Townsville, Port Douglas, the Whitsundays and Gladstone and the Fraser Coast all saw a greater number of cruise passenger visits in 2016-17. 

To support the further growth of the cruise industry in regional Queensland, the Port of Townsville is planning a $520 million project to widen and deepen the access channel to attract larger vessels.

A $120 million upgrade of the Port of Cairns was recently approved by the state’s independent Coordinator-General with stringent environmental safeguards. 

Media Contact: Jack Harbour 0419 620 447