Carnival Australia has welcomed the strong support for cruising shown by the Visitor Economy Taskforce. The final report, released Friday, noted that the fast growing popularity of cruising meant New South Wales requires more effective planning and infrastructure management for Sydney to remain a high-profile cruise destination.

According to the comprehensive report, the double digit growth of the cruise industry over the past six years means Sydney and NSW will be unable to reap the economic benefits if infrastructure fails to keep up with demands.

Carnival Australia CEO, Ann Sherry, welcomed the three priority issues identified by the report to improve Sydney's cruise ship capacity and increase the economic benefits it brings to New South Wales.

"It's no secret that cruising is the good news story of the local tourism industry and we're pleased to see the Visitor Economy Taskforce give it such prominence and strong consideration in the report's recommendations," Ms Sherry said.

"We're particularly encouraged by the report's recommendation that the State Government work closely with Canberra to secure access to Garden Island on a regular, scheduled basis.

"The cruise sector is already forecast to bring a total economic contribution of more than $1.1 billion to NSW by 2020, and delivery of the priorities identified by the Visitor Economy Taskforce would mean the contribution could grow even more," she said.

The report's three priority issues for cruising are :
• To expand cruise berthing capacity: there is a need to expand cruise berthing capacity within Sydney ports, including at Garden Island, to meet forecast growth in vessel numbers
• Address economic loss from provedoring constraints: access limitations to the Overseas Passenger Terminal also reduce the capacity for provedoring, which reduces the potential economic benefit to NSW primary producers and businesses
• A 10-year Cruise Development Plan: development of a 10-year Cruise Development Plan for Sydney, in consultation with Industry, will assist in addressing a number of issues relating to forecast growth, financial models for capacity building and the level of Government support for the cruise sector.