It is a time of great flux for the cruise industry. Operators are vowing higher standards in the wake of the Ruby Princess debacle. Unions are calling for regulatory oversight and reinvestment in Australian-flagged ships.
In its latest report, the Australian Cruise Association said some 1.35 million Australians took cruises in 2018, and the industry had a roughly $5 billion economic impact in Australia. Growth, the ACA said, was only limited by domestic cruising opportunities. "I would definitely go on a cruise again but probably not for some time. Personally, I would like to know that there have been some regulations [put in place]. I don't think I'd trust just the cruiseliners themselves. I'd want it from a bigger body," she says.
They're calling for beefed up regulations to clamp down on foreign-flagged vessels, which make up the vast majority of cruise ships in Australia. "We should be looking at opportunities to increase our participation as a nation in that industry, not be completely reliant on foreign flags to carry people around our coast and in our region. And I think there must be safeguards, some oversight to check on the behaviour and effectiveness of the cruise ship industry."
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