By
Rebecca Gibson |
This article was first published in the Spring/Summer 2017 issue of International Cruise & Ferry Review. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed.
The Port of New Orleans’ cruise industry grew by 4.5% in 2016, continuing its record pace for the sixth consecutive year. Over the past 12 months, the Louisiana-based port managed 1,070,695 cruise passenger movements, topping the one million mark for the third year in a row.
“New Orleans is one of the most attractive cities in the world for travellers and our cruise partners find the Port of New Orleans to be a natural and efficient homeport and port of call,” says Brandy Christian, the port’s president and CEO. “We continue to strive to work with cruise lines to provide new and varied itineraries and a top-notch experience for our guests.”
Several cruise ships homeport year-round in New Orleans, including Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Dream, which offers seven-day cruises, and Carnival Triumph, which sails four- and five-day cruises. Norwegian Cruise Lines’ Norwegian Dawn also sails seasonal seven-day itineraries from the port.
New Orleans is also a popular port-of-call destination and last year, the number of these calls and inland cruise passengers both hit all-time highs. Cruise ships making a one- to three-day call to the city brought 22,422 visitors to the city – a 67% rise from 2015. The port already has 10 such calls scheduled for 2017.
Heading upriver, the three homeported riverboats that cruise the inland waters of the Mississippi handled 21,391 passengers, up 40% compared to the previous year. They include American Cruise Lines’ America and Queen of the Mississippi, and American Queen Steamboat Company’s American Queen. In June 2017, the American Queen Steamboat Company will add the 166-passenger American Duchess to offer nine-night cruises to/from Memphis, Tennessee. American Duchess will be the first all-suite paddlewheeler on the Mississippi River.
Beginning 21 October, Norwegian’s newer and slightly larger 2,394-passenger Norwegian Pearl will replace the 2,340-guest Norwegian Dawn and sail seasonal seven-day cruises from New Orleans to the Caribbean.
New Orleans tourism officials predict a brighter future for international travellers when Louis Armstrong International Airport launches two new international flights to Germany and the UK in 2017.
“Choosing New Orleans as a cruise departure destination also offers the unique charm and rich offerings of most exotic ports of call,” comments Kim Priez, senior vice president of Tourism for New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau. “This combination continues to draw visitors from around the world. The new, direct air service on Copa, Condor and British Airways makes cruising from New Orleans that much more attractive.”
Currently, the Port of New Orleans ranks as the sixth-largest cruise port in the US. A Cruise Line International Association report found that Louisiana’s cruise industry generates a total of US$406 million in direct industry expenditures, supports 8,102 jobs that provide US$324 million in personal income. Port studies found 80% of cruise passengers come from outside the State of Louisiana and 60% spend an average of two nights in New Orleans either before or after their cruise.
“Cruising is big business for the port and for Louisiana,” remarks Christian, who also serves as chair of the Cruise Committee of the American Association of Port Authorities. “Due to the port’s sizeable drive-in market, passengers embarking on cruises from New Orleans visit restaurants and attractions throughout Louisiana and stay in our hotel rooms. We market cruising from New Orleans as two vacations in one – visit all that Louisiana has to offer either before or after your cruise.”
Thanks to an increase in international flights from the Louis Armstrong International Airport and the possible lifting of US sanctions for American tourism to Cuba, the Port of New Orleans can look to the future with optimism.
“The Port of New Orleans and Cuba share a long legacy of trade and tourism,” says Don Allee, the port’s director of cruise and tourism. “We are poised to play a significant role when the embargo has been fully lifted and cruises between the US and Cuba begin.”