Cruise ship visits north Qld after Debbie

The first cruise ship to visit the Whitsunday coast since Cyclone Debbie will dock at Airlie Beach on Thursday.

P&O Cruises' Pacific Dawn will bring 2000 passengers to the town, which was ravaged by the category four weather system two weeks ago.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said P&O ships would visit the Whitsunday coast three times throughout April.

"A total of 34 ships from across Carnival Australia's cruise brands are scheduled to visit the region this year, eight more than in 2016, while 48 visits are scheduled next year," she said in a statement on Tuesday.

A representative from the company's philanthropic arm, P&O Pacific Partnership, will also present a cheque for $10,000 to the Airlie Beach community to help provide relief following the cyclone.