The number of cruise passengers in New Zealand is expected to increase by a good 20 per cent in 2013 despite the tragic capsizing of the cruise ship Costa Concordia off the coast of Italy in January, according to a cruise liner manager.

Adam Armstrong, commercial manager for Royal Caribbean Cruises in Australia and New Zealand, compared the response of Kiwis and Aussies with the rest of the world, particularly Europe, where demand for cruise ship tickets had dropped after the disaster. There had not been a significant effect in Australia and New Zealand, he said.

"Australians and Kiwis seem to have been able to process it as a one-off, probably human error, incident."

Mr. Armstrong also told New Zealand Herald he did not think the horrific Costa Concordia accident would have a lasting impact on business. He told the Herald all cruise lines were reviewing processes and procedures following the Costa Concordia disaster, in which 32 people were killed or are presumed dead.

"We're looking across the board at things that we possibly could be doing better from a safety and procedures perspective," he said, adding, "In this instance it appears to have been a human error ... so we're just going through and checking we have procedures and a culture in place that would prevent that from happening on one of our ships."

For his part, Cruise New Zealand chairman Craig Harris said the cruise industry was the fastest growing part of the tourism sector.

Mr. Armstrong said Royal Caribbean's business in New Zealand is growing at a rapid rate, with about 55,000 guests forecast for next season, from only about 30,000 this year.

The company will have five ships across two brands sailing here next summer, including the 122,000 tonne Celebrity Solstice, which

Royal Caribbean's 122,000 tonne Celebrity Solstice will make three turnarounds in Auckland next summer, and four other ships across two brands are expected to boost tourism revenue with luxury cruise passengers' sightseeing and re-stocking expenses.

A cruise ship turnaround - during which passengers disembark and embark - can be worth US$1-2 million to a local economy, Mr. Armstrong told the Herald.