Industry leaders say stigma associated with travelling in a post-pandemic world will not stop tourists from visiting the Midwest when international cruises return next month.
International cruise vessels were banned from entering Australia in March 2020 to prevent the spread of the virus until the federal government lifted the ban earlier this year.
Arriving at the end of October, the Coral Princess will be the first of at least 14 cruise ships expected to dock in Geraldton over the next 12 months.
Its capacity to hold up to 2,900 passengers and crew will make it the biggest cruise ship the city has hosted.
Tourism Geraldton Midwest board member Joanne Brown said the return of cruises would be a boon to the economy after tour operators were hit hard by the loss of the international visitor market.
"Prior to the pandemic … the growth of the number of cruise ships that were coming through [Geraldton] was phenomenal," she said.
"It's not necessarily about the spend that you get [from tourists] on the day; a lot of it is return spend.
"We would have cruise ships coming through and then six months later, we'd have somebody coming through in the caravan saying they'd come to Geraldton on a cruise ship and they wanted to come back and explore a bit more."
No effect on cruise bookings
Ms Brown said tourists were more travel savvy than ever and would not see the risk of COVID-19 transmission as a deterrent to booking a cruise.
"The ships are sold out," she said.
"People who want to cruise will cruise, and it's a very controlled environment now."
She said there were strict protocols in place.
But Ms Brown said she was concerned by a shortage of hospitality and tourism staff and volunteers to support the additional visitors.
She said most people had moved to other industries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We're hoping that the volunteer group will come back, but unfortunately we suspect that a lot of people won't," she said.
Four cruise ships are expected to arrive in Geraldton by the end of the year, bringing thousands of visitors to the city.
Mid West Ports Authority chief executive Damien Tully said the restart of the cruise industry signalled a return to normality.
"Cruises play an important role in the activation of the Midwest tourism industry," he said.
He said the organisation was looking forward to ensuring visitors to Geraldton and the Midwest had an exceptional experience.
