Port of Halifax welcomes one millionth cruise passenger
October 11, 2002
Halifax, NS - The one millionth cruise passenger to visit the Port of Halifax will arrive on board Princess Cruises' 'Royal Princess' on Saturday, October 12th.
Commodore Cruise Lines' 'Caribe', which carried 303 passengers, was the first cruise vessel to arrive in Halifax on April 30, 1980. Since then, the cruise industry has become an important and growing component of port business and has experienced significant growth over the last five years. Passenger counts have increased by more then 340 per cent from just over 47,000 in 1998 to approximately 160,000 in 2002. The growth will continue next year when 180,000 cruise passengers are expected to visit Halifax.
"The cruise industry today is a very significant economic generator," says Patricia McDermott, Vice President, Marketing, Halifax Port Authority. "We estimate that each cruise passenger spends approximately $95 in Halifax which results in an economic spin-off of approximately $15 million per year."
Halifax is the number one cruise ship destination in Atlantic Canada and is a flagship port on the Canada/New England cruise itinerary. The largest cruise line companies in the world are regular customers of the Port of Halifax including such industry leaders as Carnival Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and Norwegian Cruise Line.
Cruise passengers are greeted by the Halifax Cruise Welcome Programme as they arrive in Halifax. The programme is performed by the Halifax Citadel Regimental Association, a non-profit charitable society whose main purpose is to deliver the living history programme at the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site of Canada. Upon arrival, ships are greeted with a traditional welcome by uniformed bagpipers and drummers from the 78th Highlanders, along with a special greeting from the Town Crier. Upon departure, the passengers and crew receive a farewell sendoff from the pipers. The Welcome Programme is intended to create a positive first impression of Halifax while offering a sense of arrival, warmth and hospitality. It is administered and funded by the Halifax Cruise Stakeholders Committee. Recently, the Port of Halifax received the "Best Port Welcome" award the Miami Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention and was chosen "Most Receptive Port" during the 4th Annual Canada New-England Cruise Symposium.
To celebrate Halifax's one millionth cruise passenger, there will be a presentation at the Pier 21 Cruise Pavilion at 9:00 a.m. Media are invited to attend.
About Halifax Port Authority
The Halifax Port Authority is a government business enterprise mandated by the Federal Ministry of Transport. The HPA leads in the development of the Port of Halifax, serving as a catalyst for the local, regional and national economies and has a mandate to be financially viable. The Port of Halifax has a total annual income impact of almost $700 million and an employment impact of over 9000 direct and indirect jobs.
-30-
