Port Metro Vancouver (PMV) expects this year’s cruise season to be strong, saying the number of passengers should be on par with last year and about 22% higher than in 2012.
PMV said it expects 243 separate cruises by 29 cruise ships this year, which will carry about 812,000 passengers. Last year, 812,398 cruise passengers came through on 235 cruises.
For each of the 243 cruises, PMV said, about $2 million in economic activity will be generated. This would mean close to half a billion dollars being brought in over the course of the season.
“In Vancouver, the cruise business generates approximately 283,000 hotel night stays and over 440,000 in British Columbia, generating some 6,000 direct and indirect jobs, $220 million in wages, and tax revenues for municipal, provincial and federal governments,” PMV said in a release.
The cruise season will operate between April 28 and October 2, and will see the Celebrity Solstice – one of the biggest cruise ships in the world – visiting Vancouver for the first time.
