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ICCL News Release Archives
CRUISE INDUSTRY SPENT $1.4 BILLION IN NEW YORK IN 2004
(ARLINGTON, Va.) Sept. 1, 2005 -- The cruise industry spent nearly $1.4 billion in the state of New York in 2004, supporting more than 21,300 jobs which paid $1 billion 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).
New York is primarily a point of embarkation for seasonal cruises to Canada and Bermuda, and year-round cruises to the Caribbean. In 2004, the New York Cruise Terminal increased its embarkations by 25 percent over the previous year to 547,000 passengers, or nearly 7 percent of the total of U.S. cruise passenger embarkations. The New York Cruise Terminal was the fourth busiest cruise port in the United States in 2004.
"The continued growth of the cruise industry throughout the State of New York demonstrates the importance of our location in the mid-Atlantic region," said Empire State Development Chairman, Charles A. Gargano. "Maritime activity has been a vital and important part of our history, and the growth of the cruise industry along with the State's planned revitalization of the waterfront areas, will ensure that New York remains a vibrant hub for many years to come, providing new jobs and increasing economic activity."
Empire State residents are avid cruise vacationers, with nearly 502,000 state residents taking a cruise in 2004 -- 6 percent of the U.S. total. The drive market for New York City includes Connecticut, New Jersey and part of Pennsylvania, making the state a net importer of cruise passengers.
"Not only do we offer a convenient port for cruisers to reach by car, rail or air, but also the additional benefits that our wonderful city has to offer for passengers to enjoy before or after their cruise," said Kate Ascher, executive vice president of New York City Economic Development Corporation, the city's managing agency for all cruise facilities. "New York City is making a substantial financial investment in cruise terminal facility upgrades in Manhattan and Brooklyn over the next two years, and to the extent that the industry's economic impact continues to increase, we are confident that these investments are paying off."
New York ranked third in the United States, after Florida and California, in direct cruise industry spending, at $1.4 billion, or 9 percent of the national total. Tourism-related businesses such as travel agencies, airlines, hotels, restaurants and ground transportation providers received approximately $600 million, slightly more than 40 percent of the industry's direct expenditures in the state. Another $600 million was spent with food processors, textile and apparel manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, advertising agencies and financial services companies.
The remaining direct expenditures in New York impacted other business sectors in the state including law firms; business service providers such as computer services, software consulting and marketing; manufacturers of fabricated metal products such as locks and security equipment; petroleum refiners; and performing arts and amusement establishments.
Those direct expenditures generated a total economic impact of more than 21,300 jobs and $1 billion in income throughout New York's economy in 2004.
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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