Broome in the spotlight for major cruise ship stakeholders this week

Written on the 29 November 2016

Broome was delighted to receive a visit this week by key stakeholders in the future of Broome's cruise ship industry, Destination Director of Carnival Australia Michael Mihajlov with Shore Excursion Manager of Intercruises James Coughlan and Christine Cole of Tourism Western Australia.

Invited to Broome to deliver a 'Cruise Ready Workshop' the team embraced the opportunity to strategise future itineraries for ships in Broome with a very positive initial response.

The 15/16 financial year recorded a $6.71million economic impact to Broome, third in the state behind Geraldton ($7.13m) and Fremantle ($251.69m) with immense opportunity to grow in years to come.

Shayne Murray Chair of Cruise Broome said, "The response from this visit was extraordinarily positive with the guests expressing their delight at vast improvements of engagement with industry by Broome stakeholders."

A record 60 business representatives attended the Workshop at Cable Beach Club on Monday which provided insights into successfully servicing the cruise market and covering a range of topics including meeting cruise line/passenger expectations, how cruise lines work in regard to shore excursions, and optimising business and community benefits.

"The last such event in Broome attracted circa 15 people which demonstrated to Carnival and Tourism WA that Broome is ready to take the next step in bringing more ships to Port," Shayne said.

To fulfil market demand for bespoke shore excursion experience for cruise ship passengers, Cruise Broome has appointed Kim Briggs who is packaging new tours especially for the delivery on board.

During his presentation to guests James Coughlan highlighted the importance of meeting expectations to the cruise lines whose passengers consider their experiences on ground as an extension of the ship on which they're holidaying.  He also stressed the importance of teamwork and enthusiasm by Broome to receive passengers and provide an enjoyable experience.

He said up to 70% of passengers will choose to explore the town as opposed to booking a tour on-board, and 67% of decisions to book a cruise are made from word-of-mouth, highlighting the importance of community to present to its best at these opportunities.

Cruise Broome was formed with the support of the Shire of Broome and Kimberley Development Commission.

**The Broome Chamber encourages any business seeking more information about how they can get involved to make an appointment with Kim Briggs - coordinator@cruisebroome.com.**