Our ships are coming in!

Some big opportunities for Sunshine Coast businesses are on the horizon and pretty soon they’ll be coming to shore.The P&O cruise ship Pacific Pearl is heading our way and will drop anchor off Mooloolaba on Saturday, July 18. It’s the first of four cruise ships that will stopover here in 2015 with a dozen more likely to make similar visits in 2016.

Around 1800 passengers will be aboard each ship and they’ll be ferried ashore to sample what the Sunshine Coast has to offer.

“This is a terrific opportunity for local businesses of all types to reap the benefits from what will be an enormous increase in visitor numbers to our region over the next year and a half,” Mayor Mark Jamieson said.

Mooloolaba Business and Tourism - a combination of the local Chamber of Commerce and tourism marketing organisations for Mooloolaba - is gearing up for the arrivals and will be handing out “Mooloolaba Passports” to cruise ship passengers as they arrive.

“These passports will feature information about Mooloolaba and special offers for cruise ship guests to really help them make the most of their stopover here and ensure their Mooloolaba experience is a memorable one,” Mooloolaba Business and Tourism President Peter Foran said.

“More than 70 local businesses in and around Mooloolaba have registered on this tourist passport so our business community is ready and raring and passengers will have a wealth of options for fantastic specials once they come ashore.”

Mayor Mark Jamieson encouraged all Sunshine Coast businesses and organisations to make the most of cruise ship visits.

“Statistics from P&O show that 30% of cruise ship passengers return to places they visit during a cruise,” Mayor Jamieson said.

“We have world-class tourist attractions and hospitality here on the Sunshine Coast. Places like the Eumundi Markets, Australia Zoo, the beautiful hinterland and, of course, our magnificent beaches and towns right up and down the coast.

“When passengers come ashore they’ll be looking to experience as many of these terrific attractions as they can so this will be a wonderful opportunity for everyone to make a lasting impression on thousands of visitors from interstate and overseas.”

Image: Pacific Pearl. Courtesy: P&O Cruises