By
Elizabeth Robinson |
The Port of Galveston remains the fourth busiest cruise port in the US, according to a study prepared by Business Research and Economic Advisors for the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).
CLIA’s report reveals that in 2016, the Texas-based Port of Galveston welcomed 869,923 embarking passengers, an increase of 35.4% percent since 2014.
The cruise industry generates US$1.42 billion in direct spending and more than 25,000 jobs for Texas, accounting for 6.6% of the industry’s overall spending nationwide, 6.5% of the total employment impact and 7.9% of the income impact.
According to the report, more than 1.3 million passengers and crew visited Texas during 2016, up 19% from 1.07 million in 2014. This represents 5.3% of all passenger and crew visits in the US.
Growth is expected to continue as the port welcomes Royal Caribbean International’s Vision of the Seas offering four- and five-day Western Caribbean roundtrips. In September 2018, Carnival Cruise Line will homeport its newest ship, Carnival Vista, which will sail two different seven-day western Caribbean itineraries.
“We are committed to remaining in the top five cruise homeports in North America,” said Peter Simons, interim port director. “We are also committed to strengthening our existing relationship with the cruise industry. Recently, the board of trustees appointed a Port of Call committee in an effort to increase cruise activity by encouraging other cruise lines to visit Galveston. In addition, we are also moving forward with the planning effort for a third cruise terminal that will enable us to accommodate even larger ships and the related significant increase in cruise passenger volume.”