Todd Barberel: WellingtonNZ General Manager Destination and Marketing on a drop in cruise visits

Early Edition with Ryan Bridge · May 25, 2026 · 2m · transcript

Glimmers of hope for Wellington despite another drop in cruise visits.

Preliminary data released to Newstalk ZB shows a 3% drop in port visits compared to last season.

The North Island fell 41, and the South Island gained 23.

The capital was the worst hit, losing 24% of port calls.

WellingtonNZ General Manager Destination and Marketing Todd Barberel told Ryan Bridge visitor numbers and spend is increasing, though they're not at pre-Covid levels yet.

He says there's positive momentum and the challenges from cruise lines need to be balanced with their long-term objectives.

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