Cruise ships ditch Asian ports for Burnie due to coronavirus concerns

The Seven Seas Mariner and The Queen Elizabeth will visit the city next month after ditching planned stops at Asian ports.

Mayor Steve Kons said circumstances around cruise ships visitations "is continuing to change quickly" and updates were provided on the Burnie City Council website.

"The calendar will be updated as plans for any more new cruise ship arrivals are confirmed," he said.

Cr Kons said the Seven Sea Mariner's arrival on March 4 would mean a cruise ship would dock in Burnie every day for a seven day period.

West by North West chief executive Tom Wootton said five more cruise ships would dock in Burnie this season due to concerns about Asian destinations.

"And as a state we have picked up a few extra, 14 to date, which is a good news story," he said.

"I don't suppose you celebrate... but the potential downturn in visitation (due to coronavirus) means we need to think differently about how to attract visitors.

"So when you see five extra cruise ships in the North-West Coast, that is really strong."

Visitor services coordinator Alison Burgess said the cohort of volunteers who guide cruise passengers around Burnie would be able to handle more ships.

"We've had quite a significant season to date ... so we're very mindful of the added burden," she said.

"Because we have a large pool of volunteers, we're ensuring we're resting them where necessary.

The Advocate