To the Editor,
Re: Cruise figures overblown, Letters, June 30.
I wanted to respond to the writer’s letter regarding the economic benefits to cruise on Vancouver Island.
The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority used a different calculation for the value of cruise than that of our partners at the Port of Nanaimo.
Where we indicated a direct spending to the port of Victoria at $40,000, the overall economic impact to the region is actually closer to $400,000 per ship. This is calculated by the seasonal economic benefit of more than $100 million, divided by the number of ships that we have visiting – 227 in total this season.
According to a 2014 study, the cruise industry is estimated to be worth more than $1.8 billion to the B.C. economy. Between Victoria, Nanaimo, Vancouver, and Prince Rupert, more than one million cruise ship passengers have the opportunity to explore our province each season.
Ian RobertsonCEO, Greater Victoria Harbour Authority
