Cruising to profits in Boston
Boston Business Journal
To the editor: Cruise Lines International Association recently released its 2008 Economic Impact Study for North America. What the numbers show, even in these uncertain times, is that the local economy is reaping the rewards from increased cruise business at the Port of Boston. The global figure of 4 percent growth in cruise passengers is paltry compared with what CLIA found for Boston — an incredible 21 percent increase in embarkations in 2008. Furthermore, we're not just attracting local cruise passengers.
Cruising might be your ticket out of town, but for some of the 18.3 million visitors to Boston each year, it is the first stop on their cruise vacation. In 2008, total passengers including port of call visitors increased by 15 percent to 270,000. Those guests spend valuable dollars here and our local businesses are reaping the rewards.
The Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau estimates that an average cruise passenger spends anywhere from $100 to $150 in one day in Boston.
None of this growth occurred by happenstance. Over the past 10 years, Massport made a concerted push to bring more cruises, including port of call stops, to the Bay State and capitalize on this booming industry. To put that work in perspective, when CruisePort Boston opened about 20 years ago, there were only 13 cruise ship visits and 11,723 passengers. Last year was a banner year for the port, with a record setting 113 scheduled ship visits and 270,000 passengers.