The past summer season was the first since Covid border restrictions were relaxed and it got a bit choppy for destinations for a wide variety of reasons, including unexpectedly high volumes of passengers and a shortage of bus drivers.
It is expected the next season will be spread over a longer time period and it is hoped Dunedin will be better set up to distribute visitors to experiences such as rail trips, Larnach Castle and shopping.
More than 100 cruise ships came into Port Otago in the past season and the cruise sector has an annual impact of more than $60 million on the local economy or, from one estimate last week, more than $75 million.
However, Covid inspired a reconsideration nationally of benefits and burdens associated with mass tourism and a shift in emphasis to make it a more comfortable fit with host communities.
Dunedin’s new destination management plan sounded some words of caution about mass tourism placing peak-demand burdens on operators, buses and CBD businesses.
In a segment about developing a cruise action plan, it said: "Consideration should be given to exploring the consequences of capping cruise ship visits to the city".
More broadly, a fundamental shift was identified in the way the visitor industry would be managed into the future.
"Rather than host communities serving the needs of the visitor industry, things are being flipped to ensure that the visitor industry is making a net positive contribution to host communities — also known as ‘regenerative tourism’."
A ship’s arrival was sometimes like an event and it was helpful if pinch points could be loosened and economic benefits spread, she said.
Cruise lines were open to working with communities about such things as timing of shuttles, Ms Lloyd said.
Among Dunedin’s challenges from the past season were a shortage of bus drivers, putting pressure on local bus services, and lack of rail access between the city and Port Chalmers, resulting in a temporary arrangement to use heritage buses to get people from the port to Taieri Gorge scenic train trips.
The Otago Regional Council has lifted wages for bus drivers, and Port Otago has pushed for a resolution about rail access to the port ahead of the next cruise season.
Ms Lloyd said pent-up demand for cruise experiences had not been anticipated ahead of last season.
Port Otago chief executive Kevin Winders said some issues reflected a restart for the sector, and he expected the next season to run more smoothly.
It was important to bear in mind the scale of revenue generated, he said.
Dunedin i-Site manager Louise van de Vlierd, who is set to be part of a cruise action group, said it was well-recognised nationally a balance was required between meeting the needs of visitors and host communities.
"Since Covid, there has been agreement it will have to be different than in the past."
Work had been done that would feed into a refreshed cruise action plan, she said.
