SuperStar Virgo makes a splash

24/4/03
The biggest cruise ship ever to visit Fremantle, the 77,000 tonne SuperStar Virgo, will sail into port today, bringing with it a valuable boost to tourism in Western Australia.
Tourism Minister Clive Brown will officially welcome the 268m long cruise ship at an onboard function this evening.
"Having a cruise ship of this quality based locally is great news for WA," Mr Brown said.
"Support services and fresh supplies for the ship are being sourced locally, which means a big boost for local businesses in Fremantle and the regions.
"It attracts people from interstate and overseas, and exposes them to some of the gems this State has to offer. Places like Exmouth, Broome and Bunbury are bound to attract repeat business once people have seen them for the first time."
The arrival of SuperStar Virgo has certainly captured the public's imagination.
The luxury liner has more than 980 cabins and can house almost 2,000 passengers.
Sales have been extremely strong from the moment it was announced that Star Cruises were planning to base the ship, temporarily, in Fremantle.
Places on the SuperStar Virgo's cruises to nowhere, as well as its cruises north to Exmouth, Broome and Darwin, south to Bunbury, and east to Adelaide and Melbourne are going fast.
Prices for a two-night trip range between $320 and $941.
It has been operating out of Singapore since its delivery in 1999, but Star Cruises say that continuing market challenges and difficult operation conditions in its core markets in Asia have triggered the move.
Virgo's sister ship, SuperStar Leo, which usually operates out of Hong Kong, is temporarily basing itself on the east coast of Australia, for similar reasons.
Mr Brown said that while SARS was having a dreadful impact on tourism around the globe, having the Virgo ply the waters up and down the west coast, as well as across to the east, would deliver significant benefits to WA's regional economies.
"Having the ship here is also lifting our profile interstate, with good support being shown for fly/cruise deals from the Eastern States," he said.
"It is great to be able to offer the local travel market something new, as well as giving visitors to WA a new way to explore the State.
"We would welcome a longer stay, and we are working closely with Star Cruises to make this first visit a success and hopefully extend the arrangement beyond a couple of months."
Minister's office: 9222 9699