The Port of Seattle has announced that a record 933,900 revenue passengers moved through the port’s two cruise terminals during the 2012 cruise season, further solidifying Seattle as a port of origin for Alaska-bound cruises, the port said in a statement.
The port estimates that the record passenger number generated more than $416 million in annual business revenue, $18 million in state and local taxes while creating 4,319 jobs. Each time a homeport ship docks in Seattle, it contributes $2.1 million to the local economy.
“The cruise business is good not only for King County, but for the entire state,” said Gael Tarleton, Port of Seattle Commission president. “Our goal is to have cruise passengers extend their stay a few more days to discover what else Washington has to offer and to increase tourism spending statewide. The exciting addition of the Celebrity Solstice and Oceania Regatta to our 2013 vessel schedule and our decision to continue our partnership with Cruise Terminals of America as our terminal operator continues our momentum toward that goal.”
CTA operates the cruise facilities at Piers 66 and 91. With the port’s continued investment in facilities that work, and CTA’s efficient handling of operations, vessel schedules are maintained and passenger processing is smooth and efficient. The port, CTA and the cruise lines have worked together to build successful partnerships with the community and regulatory agencies and those partnerships are vital to the continued success of the industry in Seattle.
The Celebrity Solstice, one of Celebrity’s newest ships, will offer 7-day Alaska cruises in 2013 and the Oceania Regatta will offer a variety of itineraries to Alaska including 7-days and 10-day round trip to Seattle. These new ships join the impressive list of Cruising options sailing from Seattle next year offered by Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line.
During 2012, cruises to southeast Alaska operated at 109.95 percent of passenger capacity, the result of having multiple guests – usually families – sharing a cabin.
Seattle ranks 7th in the nation for ports for passengers while Washington ranks 6th in the nation for cruise industry expenditures according to newly released 2011 data compiled by Cruise Lines International Association, the world´s largest cruise association.
