THE first cruise ship of many has made history by anchoring two nautical miles off Busselton Foreshore.
The 116,000-tonne ship anchored off the coast on Thursday morning with her 2580 guests transferring to the city for a full day of sightseeing, shopping and tours.
A pop up market showcasing local produce and artisan’s works was located in the Cultural Precinct in Queen Street with actors dressed up as Busselton's first settlers entertaining the crowd.
The Veteran Car Club had a display of their vehicles and entertainment was provided by the Busselton High School jazz combo.
Diamond Princess cruise ship services director Terry Thompson came ashore to check out the city.
Mr Thompson said it was his first time in Busselton and the reception waiting at the swim jetty was extremely welcoming.
“I have to get back on the ship otherwise I would have loved to explore the city more,” Mr Thompson said.
Princess Cruises Vice President Australia New Zealand Stuart Allison said the cruise line was excited to be the first scheduled visit to Busselton, with another nine visits planned in 2015 and 2016.
“Busselton is a great city in a fantastic location so we’re thrilled to be taking thousands of holidaymakers there over the coming months,” Mr Allison said.
“It’s a Western Australian jewel which we think our guests will long remember as a great feature of their cruise holidays.”
Mr Allison said each visit was expected to inject more than $300,000 into the local economy with a recent cruise industry economic study showing cruise passengers spend more than $150 a day on average during port visits.
Diamond Princess’ guests have been offered a wide range of tours in the area from sea kayaking in Geographe Bay and exploring Ngili Cave to tours of the city highlights and visits to the nearby Margaret River wine district.
The ship’s visit to Busselton comes 10 days into a 28-day circumnavigation of Australia, which marks the start of her four-month Australian summer deployment.
“Clearly Australian holidaymakers love cruising and we think that Western Australia and cities like Busselton are part of the future growth story for the industry,” Mr Allison said.
