By
Rebecca Gibson |
Victoria welcomed 239 cruise ship calls in 2017 – an increase from 2016 and a record for the Canadian city.
Between April and October, Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA) hosted close to 600,000 passengers and more than 239,000 crew members.
“The cruise lines we work with love Victoria as a destination,” said Ian Robertson, CEO of the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority. “This higher number of ship calls reflects a growing interest in our city not just during the peak summer season, but in the shoulder months of late spring and early fall as well.”
Highlights of the 2017 season included the first call from a Seabourn Cruise Line ship in 15 years and a ceremony to welcome the seven millionth cruise ship passenger to visit Ogden Point cruise terminal, which opened in 1978. The passenger arrived on Royal Caribbean International’s Explorer of the Seas in June.
At the beginning of the season, GVHA also introduced a new tool to give cruise industry partners real-time updates about arrival and departure schedules on victoriacruise.ca. At the end of the season, ground transportation providers CVS Tours and The Wilson’s Group revealed a joint venture with GVHA to make the Ogden Point bus fleet greener, cleaner and quieter.
For the 2018 season, GVHA will build an extended mooring dolphin to accommodate Norwegian Cruise Line’s new 330-metre-long Norwegian Bliss, which is scheduled to make regular calls to Victoria as part of her Alaska itineraries from June 2018.
Cruise partners in the city are also preparing to welcome Royal Caribbean’s Quantum-class ship Ovation of the Seas and Cunard Line’s Queen Elizabeth in 2019.