Cruise industry revives in Vancouver

Following the sector’s two-year lockdown, the first cruise ship returns to Canada, shedding hopes over significant tourism increase this season.

MS Koningsdam, carrying 1.200 passengers and 900 crew members, has passed under the Lions Gate Bridge, as it also sailed with high hopes for Vancouver’s tourism industry, affected by the recent pandemic. The ship was the first one to arrive to Canada after almost 900 days of lockdown.

And, when cruise ships are transiting, the good news also spreads for restaurants and hotels in the area.

“We invest our entire year into making all of our profits in the tourist season, and cruise ships are kind of the most reliable source of income, because you know every day a cruise ship is docking, thousands of people are coming on through, so you can count on that traffic”, commented Syd Gill, assistant GM at Café Kitsuné in Gastown.

Moreover, according to data from the Tourism Industry Association of B.C., spendings of international visitors are three to five times higher when compared to average Canadian tourists.

Royce Chwin, CEO of Destination Vancouver, explains how cruising benefits the country's tourism industry:

“Our visitor economy was first and hardest hit and will be the longest to recover.

“Here in Vancouver, in 2019, it was worth over $14 billion. In the last couple of years it was decimated to just over $5 billion annually, so we’ve got significant ground to rebuild, and cruise is a really important part of that.”

After leaving the port of Vancouver, MS Koningsdam will set its itinerary to Hawaii. The ship will return to the city at the end of April.

Vancouver expects at least 310 cruise ships to dock in its port this year’s summer season.

Nevertheless, officials in Canada hope that Covid-19 will not complicate things for the tourism industry once again.

 

Source: globalnews.ca