Thousands of visitors descended on Albany’s streets and top tourist attractions on Friday as the first cruise ship of the season arrived at the Port of Albany.

After departing the 290m vessel, more than 3000 passengers of the Crown Princess were greeted by a special welcome to country led by Menang leader Lindsay Dean, a smoking ceremony and performances from the Mooditch Nop Dance Group.

Markets stalls and food vans were set up in the Albany Town Square for the visitors with shuttle buses running to transport them to some of Albany’s most iconic attractions like The Gap.

Southern Ports chief executive Keith Wilks said the cruise season is a fantastic time of year that draws visitors from across the globe to our State.

“Our regional communities generally have a high level of interest in what’s happening at our ports, but when vessels such as the Crown Princess cruise in, there are certainly a few more people keen to see what’s going on,” he said.

“Partly it’s the awe-inspiring scale of these vessels and partly it’s because the community loves showing off what our regions have to offer to visitors.

“The history and beautiful natural landscapes of Albany for example are a terrific introduction to the Great Southern region and cruise passengers often leave wanting to come back for more.

“We’re certainly thrilled to be welcoming the Crown Princess to start the season for the third year in a row and we hope the passengers and crew alike enjoyed the warm welcome this morning.”

Mr Wilks said it was great to see passengers reading and interacting with the recently installed cultural welcome sign designed by Merningar artist Shandell Cummings.

“It was tremendous to see so many passengers pausing to read the welcome and take pictures in front of the sign,” he said.

“Logistically we can’t welcome every vessel with its own cultural welcome ceremony so the sign standing is a lasting welcome to thousands of passengers visiting the magnificent Great Southern.”

The Crown Princess marks the first cruise ship of 13 scheduled to visit Albany between October 2026 and April 2027.