To the Editor,
Re: Cruise ship market changing, cutting visits to Nanaimo port, Jan. 16.
I’m curious to know why the new $24-million cruise ship terminal in Nanaimo will only be hosting two cruise ships this year.
I see in 2010 the Nanaimo Port Authority projected securing 25 to 30 large cruise calls per season within five years. What in the heck has gone wrong?
Did staff, contractors or politicians not do good enough research on the fact-finding expense-paid trips some went on to cruise ship conventions or how they analyzed bustling tropical faraway ports?
Both Victoria and Vancouver are seeing an increase of about one dozen ships each this year, but Nanaimo is seeing a reduction.
Does anyone care the Nanaimo cruise ship terminal was built with considerable tax money courtesy of the Province of B.C., Government of Canada, Island Coast Economic Trust, and yes, the Nanaimo Port Authority?
I’m sure considerable amounts of time have also been invested by City of Nanaimo staff, Tourism Nanaimo, Nanaimo Economic Development, etc.
How did the Nanaimo Port Authority screw up so badly?
More importantly, what is being done to fix the problem, without throwing a lot more money at it, so the Nanaimo terminal will not become what the Campbell River cruise ship facility has – barren, vacant and a sea of wasted tax dollars?
George OliverNanaimo
