6 Jan 2014

$116m seen in cruise ship benefits

6:01 am on 6 January 2014

The Auckland Tourism and Events agency says nearly $116 million will come into the economy during the cruise ship season.

The agency says 89 ships bringing 162,000 passengers are due to visit the port during the season, which began in October and runs until May.

Tourism manager Jason Hill says 57% of visitors on cruise ships to Auckland are Australian.

He says the number of ships now coming out of Sydney is huge and Australians have taken to cruising in large numbers.