Vanuatu is assessing the impact of Carnival Cruise Line’s decision to withdraw Carnival Luminosa and Carnival Adventure from Australia in March 2028, a move expected to reduce cruise calls to Port Vila, Mystery Island and other ports from mid-2028.

Cruise tourism accounts for a significant share of visitor numbers in Vanuatu. According to the Vanuatu Bureau of Statistics, four cruise ships brought 11,820 day visitors to the country in August 2026, representing 52% of all visitors recorded that month.

The Department of Tourism says the two ships regularly visit Vanuatu, and their departure will affect cruise schedules across the country.

In a statement issued on Thursday, October 15, the Department said the decision was driven largely by operating conditions in Australia, the main source market for cruise visitors to Vanuatu, and was not the result of any issue in Vanuatu or the Pacific.

Australia’s cruise operating conditions

Carnival Cruise Line announced on October 15 that Carnival Luminosa will make its final voyage from Sydney on March 15, 2028, while Carnival Adventure will depart Sydney on March 20, 2028, and will not return to Australia as previously planned.

Carnival says its decision reflects several factors involved in deploying ships years in advance, including the need for long-term certainty and globally competitive operating conditions.

Carnival Cruise Line Country Manager Peter Little described the Australian Government’s extension of cruise operations between Australian ports until the end of 2028 as an interim measure.

“The extension is a welcome but interim step while the long-term operating framework for the Australian cruise sector is developed over the next two years,” Little said.

The Department of Tourism says concerns about Australia’s regulatory uncertainty and rising operating costs were raised at the Australian Cruise Association’s annual conference in Brisbane in September.

It also cited Cruise Lines International Association Australasia head Joel Katz, who warned that “Australia is struggling to attract ships to our waters because of regulatory uncertainties and rising costs.”

Vanuatu preparing for changes

The Department says it is working with cruise lines to confirm how many calls will be affected in each season and at which ports.

It says the information will be shared with tour operators, transport providers, handicraft vendors, market vendors and host communities once confirmed, allowing businesses to plan ahead.

The Department is also working with the Vanuatu Tourism Office and industry partners to retain existing cruise calls, attract new services and help businesses that depend on cruise visitors reach other markets through existing programmes.

Cruise tourism will continue

The Department says cruise tourism to Vanuatu will continue despite the planned departure of the two ships.

Carnival Splendor and Carnival Encounter are expected to continue year-round sailings from Australia, while other brands within the Carnival Corporation portfolio, including Princess Cruises, will continue visiting Vanuatu. Carnival Luminosa and Carnival Adventure are also scheduled to continue their calls into early 2028.

Little said the two departing ships had played an important role in Carnival’s Australian operations and had taken visitors to South Pacific destinations, including Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea.

“There is still plenty of time to experience everything these ships have to offer,” he said.

The Department says Vanuatu will continue working with Australia and its Pacific neighbours as the future operating framework for cruise tourism is developed.