Vancouver: Growth in Vancouvers cruise business continued for the 19th consecutive season, the Vancouver Port Authority (VPA) announced today. Despite cancelled ship sailings following the September 11 tragedy, as well as two cancellations due to ship engine problems, Vancouver cruise passenger volumes continued to post gains with 1,060,383 revenue passengers in the 2001season, representing a one per cent increase over last year.

The cruise industry today represents a vital component of the economy of the Lower Mainland with economic benefits for communities that border the port and beyond, said David Stowe, Chairman, Vancouver Port Authority. Each cruise ship that passes through our port represents $1.5 million in economic benefits. In total, the cruise sector is responsible for 4,500 direct jobs.

While the number of sailings dipped slightly to 331 sailings in 2001, down from 336 in 2000, the increasing popularity and frequency of 3- to 4-night pocket cruises between Vancouver, Victoria and Seattle, as well as larger capacity cruise vessels, continued to boost passenger counts to new levels in 2001.

Vancouver cruise passenger volumes have seen nearly two decades of uninterrupted growth, said Captain Gordon Houston, President and Chief Executive Officer, Vancouver Port Authority. Today we thank the cruise lines, the North West CruiseShip Association, labour, passenger and ship agents, terminal operators, government agencies and local cruise industry suppliers who all play an important role in making the Vancouver cruise business a continued success.

Port Vancouver is homeport to the Vancouver-Alaska cruise with two modern cruise ship terminals: Canada Place, currently with two berths, and Ballantyne Pier, with two berths. The VPA is investing $89 million in Canada Place to renovate and expand the cruise passenger terminal and to build a new third cruise berth. Vancouvers cruise business directly generates $177 million in wages, $228 million in GDP and $508 million in economic output.

For more information, please contact:

Anne McMullin,
Director, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs
Vancouver Port Authority
(604) 665-9069 (office)
(604) 665-9073 (fax)
(604) 218-1403 (cellular)
anne.mcmullin@portvancouver.com

For more information:
For more information on any of these stories, call 1-888 PORTVAN.
Or, send an email to:
public_affairs@portvancouver.com