By
Rebecca Gibson |
Robert Jumoville, director of the Port of New Orleans’s Cruise and Tourism Division, is to retire in January 2015 after 25 years at the port.
During his tenure at the US port, Jumonville has helped to invest more than US$75 million in cruise facilities and achieve a 1,200% rise in passenger throughput. Meanwhile, revenue produced by the division has increased by more than 500% under his leadership.
Over the past 25 years, Jumoville has overseen the planning and construction of all three Julia St. Cruise Terminals, including a project to consolidate two of the terminals into one modern facility in 2011. He was also instrumental in the design and construction of the Erato Street Cruise Terminal and Parking Garage Complex, the industry’s first intermodal cruise terminal to include a parking garage in the same building.
In addition, Jumonville was involved in planning a third cruise ship terminal, which will be constructed at Poland Avenue in the first quarter of 2015.
“It’s been a pleasure and a passion to work with the great staff at the Port of New Orleans and with each of the port’s cruise partners,” Jumonville said. “The port now enjoys long-term relationships with Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.”
Replacing Jumoville will be Don Allee, who has around 30 years of experience in the port industry. Most recently, Allee served as a consultant for PLG Consulting, which provides services to port and terminal operators, as well as the executive director and CEO of the Mississippi State Port Authority. Prior to his 2002-2012 tenure at Mississippi, Allee served as the executive director of the Port of Beaumont in Texas from 2000 to 2002, and worked in marketing and trade development for the Port of Freeport in Texas and the Port of Houston Authority.
“Don brings a wealth of expertise and experience to the Port of New Orleans,” said Gary LaGrange, port president and CEO. “Our cruise industry has experienced meteoric growth under Robert Jumonville’s leadership and I have full confidence that Don will build upon that success.”
Commenting on his new role, Allee said: “The US$400 million annual contribution to the local economy is a testament to how hard the Cruise and Tourism Division has worked to establish New Orleans as a leader in the cruise industry and I think there are about one million cruise passengers out there that would agree New Orleans is a top port of embarkation.”
Ranked as the sixth largest US cruise port in 2013 by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), New Orleans handled 987,860 embarkations and disembarkations last year. The CLIA study also indicated that cruise industry spending generated US$399 million in Louisiana and supported 7,548 jobs in 2013.
The Division of Cruise and Tourism was created in 2002 by LaGrange to offer an oversight of the port’s tourism tenants, which include the Hilton Riverside Towers, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, Woldenburg Park, Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World, The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk, and the Creole Queen and Natchez excursion boats.