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ICCL News Release Archives
CRUISE INDUSTRY SPENT $562 MILLION IN WASHINGTON IN 2005
ARLINGTON, Va. (Aug. 31, 2006) -- The cruise industry spent $562 million in the state of Washington in 2005, supporting more than 14,000 jobs that paid $624 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).
Washington's major cruise port, Seattle, is the nation's ninth busiest cruise port and serves primarily a point of embarkation for Alaska cruises. The Port of Seattle handled 336,500 embarkations in 2005, or 3.9 percent of all U.S. passenger embarkations. In 2005, total embarkations at the Port of Seattle were 18 percent higher than the previous year as more cruises originated at the port.
"The Port of Seattle is pleased to have a robust and growing cruise industry that contributes to the economic vitality of our region," said Port of Seattle CEO Mic Dinsmore. "The pioneering work the Port, the cruise lines, environmental agencies and the community have conducted in our state shows that economic growth and environmental stewardship are compatible goals."
Washington State also benefits as the corporate headquarters for Holland America Line. The cruise line operations also include Windstar Cruises and Westours.
In direct cruise line spending, Washington ranked seventh in the United States with $562 million. Of that, tourism-related businesses such as travel agencies, airlines, hotels, restaurants and ground transportation providers received more than $176 million, or one-third of the industry's direct expenditures in the state. Another $200 million was spent with food processors, ship repair companies, advertising agencies, engineering and design companies and employment agencies. Other Washington business sectors that received direct cruise line spending included law firms, insurance carriers, business service providers such as computer services, software consulting and marketing, and financial service 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.
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