Celebrity Cruise’s Eclipse was the first large cruise ship to arrive in Lyttelton Port in over 10 years. Photo: ChristchurchNZ
Incoming cruise ship passengers will be bussed straight from Lyttelton's port to Christchurch, following locals' complaints about tourists overwhelming public transport.
The season runs from 7 November until 8 April, with 77 ships expected to arrive in Lyttelton and 12 scheduled for Akaroa.
Lyttelton residents have complained when the ships are in port, bus services struggle to keep up with the added demand from tourists.
Christchurch's economic development agency ChristchurchNZ said this season would trial cruise passengers catching a free shuttle from the Lyttelton cruise berth directly into the central city.
Destination and attraction general manager Loren Aberhart said this would aim to reduce the number of passengers who entered the port town, and eliminate the strain on the public bus system.
"A huge volume of cruise ship passengers really does overload the town," she said.
"By creating a traffic management plan which ensures cruise ship passengers can access Christchurch directly rather than via Lyttelton, a small township which is not set up for large numbers of visitors, we know that both visitors and residents will have a more positive experience in our destination."
Aberhart said this proposal would have some cost implications for cruise lines.
"We think that there will be some incremental cost increases to transfer passengers from Lyttelton to Christchurch. We're really eager to work through supporting the cruise lines and making sure their logistical planning doesn't cost them too much," she said.
Aberhart said tourism operators were looking forward to welcoming passengers to the city.
ChristchurchNZ said 79 cruise ships with a total of 144,000 passengers arrived in Lyttelton during the October-March 2022/23 season.