A bumper summer is expected ahead of the cruise ship season. 

A total of 54 ships will make 1,000 visits to New Zealand shores this season, expecting to bring around 350,000 passengers. 

Kaikōura and Bluff both have forward bookings, and Lyttelton is back on the calendar following upgrades. 

But Tourism Holding Limited CEO Grant Webster warns that infrastructure issues will eventually come into play. 

He says we need a quality international cruise port, and we'll lose the cruise ships to Australia if we don't invest in that. 

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