Port of Seattle cruise terminals welcomed 179 vessel calls
and 823,780 revenue passengers in 2014, according to port data, with each
cruise vessel bringing in an estimated $2.2 million for the local economy.
The port says it anticipates 192 vessel calls and 895,055
revenue passengers in 2015.
“Our cruise industry has grown into a major economic driver
for the Puget Sound region,” Port Commissioner John Creighton said. “For the
seventh straight year, our cruise business exceeded 800,000 passengers. We
remain committed to growing that number, as well as getting cruise-going
visitors to stay here a few extra days.”
Seattle’s cruise business, which currently leads all cruise
homeports on the West Coast in passenger volume, is responsible for nearly
4,000 jobs, $372 million in annual business revenue, and $16.6 million annually
in state and local tax revenues, according to port data.
The seven homeport cruise lines at Seattle are: Carnival
Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line,
Oceania Cruises, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean.
In 2015, with the addition of Holland America’s Statendam
vessel every other Monday, there will be seven cruise lines with eleven premier
home port vessels offering seven, 10 and 14-day cruises to Alaska, according to
the port.
