The cruise terminal planned for Luggage Point.Credit:Port of Brisbane
A Port of Brisbane representative said it was too early to determine if the first cruise to depart from the port would need to be rescheduled.
"Given the fact that the government has introduced a temporary ban on cruising,as they have on international flights,with no indication as to when it will be lifted,it is too early to understand how this crisis will impact future seasons,"the spokesperson said.
The cruise industry injected $5 billion into Australian tourism and provided 3.5 million passenger visit days in 2018-19,according to an Australian cruise industry economic assessment.
Despite being a major money-spinner for the tourism sector,Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham said no one should be booking a cruise unless they had an"ironclad"insurance policy.
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"Now is not a time to be making bookings ... if you have an ironclad insurance policy,should you still not be in a position to undertake that cruise,go your hardest,I guess,but I would tell people at present,they should be cautious about the decisions they make,"Mr Birmingham told the ABC.
The new terminal will accommodate some of the biggest cruise ships in the world including Royal Caribbean International's 293m-long Radiance of the Seas.