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ICCL News Release Archives
CRUISE INDUSTRY SPENT $709 MILLION IN TEXAS IN 2004
(ARLINGTON, Va.) Sept. 1, 2005 -- The cruise industry spent $709 million in the state of Texas in 2004, supporting nearly 14,000 jobs which paid $578 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).
The state's principal cruise ports, Galveston and Houston, are among the fastest-growing cruise ports in the country and primarily serve western Caribbean itineraries. In 2004, total cruise embarkations for the Texas ports combined were 50 percent higher than the previous year. Galveston handled 435,000 cruise passengers in 2004, ranking it the sixth busiest cruise port in the United States. Houston's numbers increased fivefold in 2004 for a total of 83,000 embarkations. More than 543,000 Texans took cruises in 2004 and accounted for 6.5 percent of U.S. resident cruise passengers.
"It is no secret that the Port of Galveston's dynamic success began from the strong drive-to market from throughout the state including Dallas/Ft. Worth, San Antonio and Austin," said Steve Cernak, Galveston Port Director. "Galveston now ranks sixth in departure ports in the U.S., and the continued interest in Texas is causing the port to begin planning for a third terminal. With five of the top ten cruise lines calling in Galveston, we believe the industry's contribution to the economy of Texas is more than significant and Galveston is proud to bring this industry to our state."
In direct cruise line spending, Texas ranked fifth in the United States, after Florida, California, New York and Alaska, at $709 million. Of that, tourism-related businesses such as travel agencies, airlines, hotels, restaurants and ground transportation providers received more than $280 million, approximately 40 percent of the industry's direct expenditures in the Lone Star State. Another $200 million was spent with businesses including petroleum refiners, advertising agencies, insurance carriers, employment agencies and management and technical consulting companies. Additional businesses that benefited from cruise industry spending included food processors, wholesalers, apparel manufacturers, software publishers and companies that manufacture and distribute communication and navigation equipment.
Nationwide, the North American cruise industry had a total impact of more than $30 billion on the U.S. economy in 2004, an increase of more than 18 percent over 2003. The BREA study also found that the cruise industry supported nearly 316,000 U.S. jobs and paid a total of more than $12.4 billion in wages and salaries in 2004.
The complete economic study can be found on the ICCL Web site at www.iccl.org.
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