The British Columbia economy continues to enjoy significant benefits from the cruise industry. The 2012 cruise season has just drawn to a close, with calls to multiple BC ports continuing well into October. This past season saw a slight increase of 13,000 passengers from 2011, with a total 1.2 million passengers visiting the BC port communities of Nanaimo, Prince Rupert, Vancouver and Victoria on a total of 427 calls. An estimated total economic impact of $1.3 billion was generated to the BC economy, industry organisation Cruise BC Association said in a statement.
“The consistent passenger volumes through our province demonstrate the strength of our excellent cruise product,” says Carmen Ortega, Chair of Cruise BC. “BC represents more than 50% of Canada’s entire cruise business. Cruises to Alaska through BC ports continue to rank as one of the most popular cruises in the world, contributing billions to our local economy.”
Economic impacts and benefits were seen throughout the province’s cruise ports in 2012: