Canadian port will also welcome eight inaugural calls this season, which starts in April
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Port of Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada is to welcome eight inaugural cruise calls, larger vessels and around 240,000 passengers in 2016.
The port, which is due to host 135 vessels this year, will open its season on 30 April with a call from Holland America Line’s Veendam.
“Holland America has been a tremendous partner over the years, and Veendam is one of the vessels calling Halifax that is equipped to take on shore power,” said Cathy McGrail, director of cruise and corporate communications at the Port of Halifax. “Starting off the season in this way is a good representation of the partnerships and innovations that have helped develop a strong cruise offering in Halifax.”
Highlights of 2016 will include three visits from Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Magic, Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2, a five-ship day on 7 October, and the arrival of more than 9,000 passengers plus crew, on 15 September, set to be the busiest day.
This year, the record for the number of passengers arriving on a single vessel will be broken twice; first when Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Breakaway calls with 4,500 guests (plus crew) and again on 1 September when Royal Caribbean International’s Anthem of the Seas arrives with 4,905 guests (plus crew).
“The cruise sector is important to Nova Scotia’s tourism economy,” said Martha Stevens, acting CEO at Tourism Nova Scotia. “Cruise passengers spend money on such things as food, shopping and excursions, and are introduced to some of the unique experiences that make Nova Scotia an attractive vacation destination.”
Halifax’s cruise industry generates an estimated US$104.3 million in economic benefit for the local economy. This includes passenger spending on tourism-related activities as well as provisioning associated with cruise vessels.