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As the region’s traditional industries cop a battering, a sea of opportunity has opened with the news a passenger cruise ship will make Wollongong a regular port of call. The Royal Caribbean’s mega liner will bring in 2400 guests each time it docks at Port Kembla for day trips, injecting $890,000 into the local economy. In a major coup for the region and after three long years of negotiations, the cruise company confirmed on Wednesday the 293m long mega liner Radiance of the Seas would include Port Kembla in its seven night East Coast and Tasmanian cruise from October 2016. Helping keep the region afloat as steel and coal industries struggle to survive, the cruise lines’s Regional Vice President Gavin Smith committed to an ongoing relationship with his company and the Illawarra. ‘‘I’m thrilled to announce we will be bringing one of the largest and most feature-packed mega liners in Australian waters to the South Coast of NSW, when Port Kembla becomes the newest destination for Radiance of the Seas,” Mr Smith said. “As the appetite for cruising continues to grow, expanding our offering for our many international and domestic guests is the key to our continued success. “Including Port Kembla on our itineraries will provide our guests the opportunity to sample all that Wollongong and the South Coast has to offer. At the same time, it will give us the chance to investigate Port Kembla as an alternative home port, as an overflow to congestion in Sydney Harbour.’’ The ship will spend a day in port, allowing tourists from Australia and around the world to explore the Illawarra’s beaches, city, towns and attractions through day trips, courtesy buses and planned activity options. Destination Wollongong board member Cr Leigh Colacino, who has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to secure the deal, said he was excited to announce that Royal Caribbean ships will soon become a regular sight at Port Kembla. ‘‘And I will be standing dockside to welcome the Radiance of the Seas when she makes her first visit to Wollongong,’’ he said. ‘‘This is a wonderful outcome for the Illawarra and regional tourism, but also makes business sense for Royal Caribbean to make use of one of the most capable ports on the east coast of Australia. “This commitment from Royal Caribbean is also a wonderful endorsement of the new operators of Port Kembla and their commitment to the economy of the Illawarra. Cr Colacino said Royal Caribbean understands the value of Port Kembla and Wollongong for tourism with its proximity to the Sydney CBD and airport, and the varied attractions of the region ‘‘whether they are the vibrant nightlife, shopping and dining precincts, the beaches, adventure activities, the wineries of the South Coast and Southern Highlands or simply the outstanding natural attraction of the Illawarra escarpment’’. ‘‘It has been rewarding to work with Gavin Smith, Regional Vice President of Royal Caribbean, over the past two and a half years in making what seemed to many as nothing more than a dream, a reality to our region.’’ Destination Wollongong General Manager Mark Sleigh says the agreement with Royal Caribbean is an amazing opportunity for the Illawarra which will have immediate economic benefits and ongoing tourism advantages. “It is terrific that one of the world’s leading tourism operators has seen the potential of Wollongong as a genuine, world-class tourist destination,” he said. “Cruising is a booming tourism industry in Australia and the visit by the Radiance of the Seas will bring an influx of visitors to our shores and allow us to show off Wollongong and the South Coast to a whole new audience across the world.” While the inaugural visit by the Radiance of the Seas is a momentous occasion for the region, the sight of cruise ships off the coast could become more common in the future.

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