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ICCL News Release Archives
HAWAII IS THE FASTEST GROWING U.S. CRUISE DESTINTATION MARKET
ARLINGTON, Va. (Aug. 31, 2006) -- The cruise industry increased its direct expenditures by 52 percent in 2005 in Hawaii for a total of $512 million. This spending supported more than 12,000 jobs paying $394 million in wages and salaries according to an annual economic impact study by Business Research and Economic Advisors (BREA). The study was commissioned by the International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL).
With the recent deployment of U.S.-flagged cruise ships in Hawaii by NCL America, the state has become the fastest-growing cruise destination market in the United States. During 2005, 235,600 passengers embarked on cruises in Hawaii. Overall, cruises generated an estimated 700,000 cruise passenger visits* at Hawaiian ports of call, accounting for approximately 16 percent of all U.S. port-of-call passenger visits.
"The state of Hawaii is pleased to see the economic benefits grow with the expansion of NCL America's operations," said Marsha Wienert, Tourism Liaison for the State of Hawaii. "The cruise industry is a vital part in our tourism economy and we are proud to show people the beauty of our state while supporting local businesses."
As NCL America has increased capacity in Hawaii, the state has moved up significantly in the rankings. In two years, Hawaii has risen in the rankings from 15th in 2003 to 8th in 2005 in direct cruise industry spending in the United States. Of direct cruise line spending, tourism-related businesses such as travel agencies, airlines, hotels, restaurants and ground transportation providers received approximately $350 million, or slightly more than 80 percent of the industry's direct expenditures in the state. Another $6.5 million was spent with apparel and textile manufacturers, food processors, financial service companies, advertising agencies and trucking companies.
Nationwide, the North American cruise industry generated a total of $32.4 billion into the U.S. economy in 2005, an increase of nearly 8 percent over 2004. The BREA study also found that the cruise industry supported more than 330,000 U.S. jobs and paid $13.5 billion in wages and salaries in 2005.
The complete economic study can be found on the ICCL Web site at www.iccl.org.
NEWS DIRECTORS/ASSIGNMENT EDITORS NOTE: Broadcast-quality Beta-SP B-roll video is available upon request. Contact Buck Banks or Julie Ellis at 305-461-3300, buck@newmanpr.com or julie@newmanpr.com.
* Since individual cruise passengers will make several port-of-call visits on any itinerary, passenger visits are approximately three times greater than the number of passengers taking cruises to U.S. ports-of-call.
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