3 February 2016

Wellington welcomes the ultra-exclusive Azamara Quest

The exclusive six-star cruise liner Azamara Quest makes its first visit to Wellington tomorrow, Thursday.

The boutique luxury ship holds around 700 guests, with all of the staterooms (cabins) being butler serviced.

Councillor Jo Coughlan, Chair for Wellington City Council’s Economic Growth and Arts Committee says she is delighted the Azamara Quest has chosen Wellington for her overnight stay.

“I would like to welcome passengers from Azamara Quest to the coolest little capital in the world. One of the highlights of their night and two day visit will be a special New Zealand AzAmazing evening at Te Papa – where guests will get to experience the local cuisine and culture of the city and its surrounding region.”

The Azamara Quest is part of the Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited (RCCL) ship line, which has been bringing ships to New Zealand since 1999. This season, Royal Caribbean has six ships visiting New Zealand – with Wellington being New Zealand’s most visited port by the cruise line.

Cr Coughlan says the cruise industry is a vital and visible form of tourism to Wellington.

“Over 90 cruise ships visit Wellington per year. Ten years ago around 20,000 cruise ship passengers visited the city, by the end of this summer’s cruise season we’ll have welcomed 175,000 passengers.

“These passengers will pump $65 million into the city by the end of this season.”

The Azamara Quest arrives around 12 noon Thursday and leaves 10pm Friday.

In April, Royal Caribbean’s newest ship, Ovation of the Sea, will visit Wellington. It’s one of the cruise lines’ mega-ships, carrying over 5000 passengers.

ends

© Scoop Media