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On November 12th, the most successful
international cruise season on the Saint Lawrence drew to a close with the
departure of the m/v Hamburg from the Port of Québec.
Destination Saint Lawrence this year welcomed
over 261 000 cruise ship passengers and 94 000 crew members, an outstanding 20%
jump over 2013. In total, 27 different ships made 348 stopovers in ports of call
along the Saint Lawrence during the period from May to November 2014.
"Back in 2008, Destination Saint Lawrence welcomed 127 000 international cruise
passengers, a volume which stands in stark contrast to the 2014 figure of more
than double that number. Bookings in hand point to continued growth in 2015 and
2016, and we anticipate surpassing the half million mark by about 2020,"
underscored Tony Boemi, President of Cruise the Saint Lawrence and Vice
President, Growth and Development with the Port of Montréal.
Since 2008, over $180 million has been invested to provide for the development
of new ports of call and the institution of a targeted strategy with
international cruise lines. As a result, Destination Saint Lawrence now includes
nine (9) ports of call designed and poised to handle cruise ship traffic, namely
Montréal, Trois-Rivières, Québec, Saguenay, Baie-Comeau, Sept-Îles, Havre
Saint-Pierre, Gaspésie and Îles de la Madeleine.
The success of Destination Saint Lawrence will require ongoing investment in the
years ahead if we are to be able to manage peak season traffic and ensure the
provision of quality services. For example, on October 3rd of this year, the
Port of Québec simultaneously welcomed 6 ships and over 20 000 passengers and
crew into port on a single day. The greeting of such an important contingent of
visitors required the implementation of a number of exceptional measures.
Current port infrastructure development and greeting projects for both Montréal
and Québec, our destination's primary ports of embarkation and disembarkation,
are key to assuring that Destination Saint Lawrence keeps pace with anticipated
growth.
International cruise shipping on the Saint Lawrence generates economic benefits
of some $285 million and sustains the creation of 2200 direct and indirect jobs. |
