Cruise Industry Puts $21M Into Cape Berton Economy
Almasalla Travel News – This year s cruise ship season in Sydney had a large economic impact, with initial estimates from the Sydney Ports Corporation suggesting passengers pumped more than $21 million into the local economy.
The 2013 season wrapped up on Wednesday when the Emerald Princess — one of the largest cruise ships owned by Princess Cruises — pulled into port.
“It’s been a great season, it’s been tremendous actually,” said Bernadette MacNeil, a spokeswoman for the Sydney Ports Corporation. “This year was different in that our numbers were high in the summer months.”
In 2012, passengers put $21 million into the local economy. MacNeil said this year, about 10,000 more passengers visited the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, which means even more money came into the island.
“Last year we had a total of 86,662, this year we have actual counts of 96,405 and add on another close to 3,000 on top of that for today’s vessel,” she said Wednesday. “Based on the economic impact study that’s been completed, the direct and indirect spending generated $21 million on our economy.”
The Sydney Ports Corporation has hired B&A Partners, a U.S. firm, to do a cruise market assessment study. B&A Partners will also host a workshop next month for local stakeholders.
The final market assessment on Sydney’s cruise industry is expected to be released by the middle of November.
Source : travel and tour world
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