Destination Wollongong general manager Mark Sleigh was a relieved and happy man on Wednesday night as he watched Voyager of the Seas sail out of Port Kembla after her second visit in three weeks.
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If Councillor Leigh Colacino was the captain in the quest to bring the rapidly growing cruise ship industry to the region Mr Sleigh was his lieutenant. Both have led the mission over four years and they could not be happier with the way the city and region has embraced their vision.
“I feel incredibly proud. We set out with a dream and Wollongong has come out and delivered more on everything than we could have ever asked for. The way that Wollongong has welcomed cruise ships is only going to bring more to town. This has been a wonderful start.”
Mr Sleigh knows there is a lot more work to come he also knows how much support there is to make visits happen on a regular basis after the wonderful response by so many in the community.
“There is absolutely no reason why cruise ships shouldn’t come here.”
“We will continue fighting for that. There is no city in the world that does more to welcome cruise ship visitors to town. Leigh and I could not be prouder. Whether it was the ambassadors, whether it was the retailers, whether it was the people who came out and waved at Flagstaff Hill when the ships came in. It feels like everyone has been behind it. It has been amazing.”