The British Columbian cruise port Prince Rupert has signed a 10-year cope with Global Ports Holding to broaden its cruise enterprise additional. Global Ports Holdings has taken over the cruise companies for a lot of ports recently, together with San Juan, Antigua, and Singapore, and operates 26 ports in 14 international locations.
Prince Rupert is an thrilling port as it’s near Alaska and provides cruise operators a sexy port of name whereas in transit between Alaska and US ports equivalent to Seattle.
Prince Rupert Signs 10-year Deal to Increase Cruise Traffic
The huge quantity of cruise passengers that sail to Alaska every year is probably engaging for port operators within the area. This rings very true as extra well-known ports endure from congestion within the May to October interval when the Alaska cruise season is at its busiest.
Although Prince Rupert solely registered 41,000 cruise passengers within the final yr, the port hopes to extend that quantity considerably over the following ten years. To obtain that aim, the town authorities signed a 10-year cope with the most important cruise port operator worldwide, Global Ports Holdings.
“This 10-year agreement signifies the wealth of opportunity that exists in the Alaskan cruise theater and the key role the Port of Prince Rupert can serve in its future growth,” Prince Rupert Port Authority President and CEO Shaun Stevenson mentioned.
“Prince Rupert’s value proposition to cruise visitors is a strong one – a natural port of call on an Alaskan itinerary, a rich and diverse cultural history, and spectacular north coast scenery as a backdrop.”
For now, Global Ports Holdings will deal with the advertising and marketing aspect, attracting extra cruise ships to the port. The firm believes visitors to Prince Rupert will double subsequent yr to round 80,000 passengers. Both Carnival and Princess Cruises have already booked calls to the town.
Prince Rupert Aims for Growth, not Mass Tourism
Although the cope with Global Ports Holdings will convey a major enhance in cruise tourism to the Port of Prince Rupert, the town doesn’t intention to develop as large and busy as a few of the ports in Alaska, which frequently see multiple million guests every year.
The most important intention for the port will probably be to benefit from the rising congestion within the Alaskan ports, giving visitors a extra relaxed port expertise than they’d get additional north.
Global Ports Holding Regional Director for the Americas Mike Maura Jr. spoke of the port’s cruising potential and appears ahead to the partnership with the port and the neighborhood.
“The Port of Prince Rupert has immense potential to meet the rising demand from the cruise industry and accommodate the increasing volume and size of cruise ships. We believe that Prince Rupert has a realistic path to seeing weekly cruise calls and up to 250,000 passengers annually.”
Prince Rupert would be the first North American port that Global Ports Holdings runs. The firm operates 26 cruise ports in 14 international locations and is the most important cruise port operator worldwide.
Prince Rupert’s place, north of Vancouver, and only some miles from Ketchikan, Alaska, ensures it’s completely positioned to benefit from the spillover of the Alaska cruise season. It additionally permits cruise operators to make an important name exterior the United States with no need to sail to Canadian ports a lot additional south.