The Australian Cruise Association (ACA) announced today that it will go west in 2025 and hold its Annual Conference and AGM in Fremantle/Walyalup, Perth’s eclectic port city and the premier cruise gateway to Western Australia (WA).
The successful bid was entered by Tourism Western Australia in partnership with the City of Fremantle and Business Events Perth.
In making the announcement, Jill Abel, CEO of ACA said, “We are looking forward to heading back to W.A. in 2025 which will mark 20 years since the Conference was last held in Fremantle with 49 delegates in attendance – next year we expect around three times that many. Recent conferences in WA were also held in Perth in 2014 and Broome in 2018.
“The committee’s decision to select Fremantle reflects the important commitment by the State Government and the various stakeholders throughout the state to discuss the next phase of growth for Western Australia.”
“The port city of Fremantle is the “cog” in the WA cruise landscape, one of eleven ports and anchorages on offer throughout the state including Albany in the south to Broome in the north which is currently working toward an important First/Last Point of Entry status.
“A critical linkage for cruise ships on their itineraries around Australia, it is important that we continue to support the development of the sector in the state and protect the valuable economic contribution that it makes,” Abel continued.
“Western Australia’s vast offering of shore excursions – marine wildlife viewing, Indigenous experiences and of course the incredible wealth of food and beverage experiences – makes for a highly immersive cruise itinerary and a destination we are excited to share with our delegates in 2025.”
The announcement was made at the final session of the 26th anniversary ACA Conference being held in Adelaide this week which attracted a record 156 attendees.
It is anticipated that a similar number of people will attend the Conference in Fremantle to be held from 3-5 September 2025. This will include leading national and international cruise executives and representatives from the supply side of the cruise sector – shore excursion operators, port authorities, provedores, shipping agents and tour businesses.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism, Western Australia, Rita Saffioti said: “The cruise tourism industry generates hundreds of millions of dollars for Western Australia each year and creates hundreds of local jobs.
“Hosting this prestigious conference is another fantastic opportunity to showcase our State and cruise industry to key leaders from across the country and keep building on what we’re achieving.
“We really look forward to welcoming delegates to Fremantle next year and discussing current and future opportunities within the sector, while of course showcasing our world-class cruise and broader tourism offerings.”
Fremantle Mayor, Hannah Fitzhardinge said: “We are very excited to host this national event and will be maximising the opportunity to network with all the key players in the cruise sector and showcase our city to the world. The cruise industry is an important contributor to our local economy. This season we’re expecting around 30 cruise ships to dock in Fremantle between August 2024 and August 2025. That’s been a steady number for the past couple of years.”
