Sapphire Princess will find its home port in Fremantle in the summer of 2027-28, expecting to generate more than $140 million in economic impact.
Premium cruise liner Sapphire Princess will find its home port in Fremantle in 2027, expecting to generate $142 million in economic impact.
The state government announced today the Princess Cruises ship, which can host up to 3,200 guests, will carry out nine cruise itineraries across Western Australian ports over the 2027-28 summer season.
The news was made public at the Australian Cruise Association Conference which kicked off yesterday in Fremantle, supported through Tourism WA.
It will generate more than 1,000 jobs and bring large cruise vessels to Geraldton, according to the state government.
Princess Cruises Asia Pacific vice president Matthew Rutherford noted this deployment would make Princess the only premium cruise line to return and homeport a ship in WA.
“Princess Cruises has long held a deep affection for [WA],” he said.
“Today, we are proud to reaffirm our commitment to Western Australia, showcasing its breathtaking beauty, from Kimberley to the Great Southern, to travellers from around the world.”
Tourism Minister Reece Whitby emphasised the government support for the cruise fell under its economic diversification strategy and the WA Cruise Tourism Strategic Plan 2023-2033.
“This new home port ship is a significant achievement for WA’s cruise and tourism industry that is set to bring tens of thousands of passengers to our state,” he said.
“Welcoming back another superliner cruise ship to home port will be a massive boost to WA’s tourism sector while highlighting the strength and popularity of our ports as cruise destinations.”
The state government said it would spend around $1.8 million in funding to deliver the strategic cruise plan over the next four years.
An additional $35 million has been committed to improve infrastructure at the Fremantle Passenger Terminal.
The port city is flagged for major hotel developments, and won gold in the Australian Top Tourism Town Awards announced in Canberra yesterday.
Princess’ itinerary to regional WA ports is set to be announced later in the year.
“I’d like to thank the Western Australian Government and Tourism WA for going above and beyond in embracing Princess Cruises and supporting us in the key ports we plan to visit and take our guests to,” Mr Rutherford said.
“We can’t wait to help make Western Australia ‘the’ place to visit with Sapphire Princess’ new deployment.”
WA is home to 10 active cruise ports, and according to the state government, cruise visits generated a total of $385 million in economic impact in 2023-24.
Princess has homeported four of its ships in WA since 2008.
