A wave of excitement washes ashore at Port Adelaide's Outer Harbour with the arrival of international cruise ships, and Paul Kelly is at the forefront of a welcoming committee.
He greets thousands of travelers from all over the world who are about to experience everything the city has to offer.
He might be helping the couple from New Zealand find the CBD’s best cultural experience or giving the family from further abroad advice about how to spend a day at the Adelaide Zoo.
When you need to know where to go, City of Adelaide Visitor Information Centre and the Port Adelaide Passenger Terminal volunteer Mr Kelly is your guy.
“I always look forward to meeting and communicating with overseas tourists,” Mr Kelly says.
“Not only advising them on our tourist attractions, but also learning more about their travel experiences and their own countries.
South Australia’s 2024/25 cruise season will kick off this month, with more than 241,000 holidaymakers and crew members set to sail into Adelaide until June 2025.
The Adelaide Economic Development Agency (AEDA) supports the cruise industry through its flow-on effects to the city’s visitor economy.
It places additional volunteers in Adelaide Railway Station and around the City to welcome and assist passengers enjoying everything the precinct has to offer.
Mr Kelly says the presence of well-informed locals heightens a tourist’s Adelaide experience.
“My top picks in the city for visiting tourists are the Adelaide Zoo, Adelaide Botanic Garden and State Library buildings,” he says.
The Diamond Princess is the first ship to dock in Adelaide on 3 October, with 2650 passengers and 1100 crew members coming to Adelaide after visiting Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island and Port Lincoln, Eyre Peninsula earlier this week. Princess cruises is scheduled to make 12 calls to South Australia this season, bringing an estimated $20 million into the state's economy.
More than 20 first-time voyages are currently scheduled, including luxury cruise lines bringing in high yield visitors to the state, such as MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Hapag Lloyd Cruises
The season culminates on 7 June 2025 following the arrival of the Crown Princess.
The beginning of the cruise season follows the Australian Cruise Association Annual Conference 2024, which was successfully hosted in Adelaide last month. Almost 160 leading cruise industry delegates experienced first-hand why South Australia is a must-visit destination for cruise passengers and the industry.
To assist tourism operators make the most of increased visitation, the South Australian Tourism Commission (SATC) released its How to Work with Cruise document.
It has been designed to help new and existing tourism operators better understand the cruise market and provide information about suitable products for shore excursion programs.
To read the document click here.