Australian Cruise Association Picks Geelong as 2019 Conference Venue

The Australian Cruise Association (ACA) will hold its 23rd annual conference and AGM in Geelong, Victoria’s second largest city, in September, 2019.

The successful bid by Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine and Visit Victoria was announced at the completion of the 2018 Conference held in Broome, in Western Australia’s spectacular Kimberley region.

Making the announcement, Jill Abel, CEO of ACA said, “We are seeing the regional ports playing an increasingly important role in the growth of the cruise tourism sector in Australia, so it was important to us to continue to reflect that in our choice of conference venue for 2019.”

“More than 100 cruise ships will visit Victoria in the upcoming cruise season.  Dispersal to ports such as Geelong, Philip Island and Portland has been critical to that growth. Geelong, in particular has been a drawcard for visits from the smaller, high-end ships such as the Regent Seven Seas and the Viking Sun whose passengers are interested in immersing themselves in all that a destination has to offer” Abel continued. 

It is anticipated that around 120 people will attend the Conference in Geelong to be held from 4-6 September, 2019. This includes leading national and international cruise executives and representatives from the supply side of the cruise sector - shore excursion operators, port authorities, provedores, shipping agents and tour businesses.

Commenting on the successful bid, City of Greater Geelong Mayor, Bruce Harwood said “This is a fantastic outcome for Geelong. We’re expecting five boutique cruise ships to visit our shores over summer and we want to do everything we can to further encourage this industry which currently generates close to $1 million in direct expenditure to the region.

As Victoria’s second most popular destination for cruise ships we welcome this opportunity to further showcase our destination offerings including our beautiful waterfront, our vibrant CBD and our iconic food and wine destination along the Bellarine.”