HAL adds Brisbane to cruises

Holland America Line is including Brisbane in its itineraries with the inaugural voyage set for 2010. Volendam will visit the port, and the Tourism Minister said the ship’s visits to Queensland would generate big economic returns for the state and put Brisbane Cruise Terminal on the international cruise shipping map. Cruise shipping generates more than $132 million for the Queensland economy already and the new development of Portside Wharf has created a state-of-the-art, cruise terminal facility that is considered to be among the best in the world and is surrounded some of the city's best restaurants and cafes and fresh food markets.