By
Rebecca Gibson |
Montréal Cruise Terminal is to welcome more than 9,300 passengers and four ships between 1 and 5 October.
On 1 October, more than 2,500 passengers will arrive in Montreal onboard AIDA Cruises’ AIDAbella, while the Canadian port will also handle visits from Holland America Line’s Maasdam and Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Seven Seas Navigator. In addition, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ Europa will return to the port for the first time in ten years.
Montréal’s cruise season, which started in May, reaches its peak in October and will end on 11 November with the departure of Hapag-Lloyd’s Hamburg. By the end of this season, more than 56,000 domestic and international passengers will have passed through Montréal.
“The cruise market is one of great potential and central to our strategic planning for the coming years,” said Yves Lalumière, president and CEO of Tourisme Montréal. “We have set ambitious goals and we are working with various stakeholders to reach them. We not only want to attract cruise passengers worldwide to Montréal, but we also want to make Montrealers aware of this unique way of travelling.”
Cruise numbers are also set to be strong in 2015.
“I want to commend the excellent work of the Montréal Cruise Committee, whose efforts are paying off,” said Sylvie Vachon, president and CEO of the Port of Montréal. “According to the forecast we have in our possession, the 2015 season will see the number of passengers cross a new threshold, a sign that Montréal has considerable appeal when it comes to the cruise industry.”
Supported by Tourisme Québec, the Montréal Cruise Committee comprises the Montréal Port Authority and Tourisme Montréal, as well as six other local associations and organisations. These include Aéroports de Montréal, the Old Port of Montréal Corporation, the Casino de Montréal, the Old Montréal Business Development Corporation, the Hotel Association of Greater Montréal and the City of Montréal.