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ICCL News Release Archives
CRUISE INDUSTRY SPENT $401 MILLION IN MASSACHUSETTS IN 2005
ARLINGTON, Va. (Aug. 31, 2006) -- The cruise industry increased its directing spending by 35 percent to $401 million in the commonwealth of Massachusetts in 2005. This spending supported more than 4,300 jobs that paid $245 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).
Serving as the "Gateway to New England," 80,400 people embarked on their cruises from Cruiseport Boston in 2005. Boston is Massachusetts' major cruise port and point of embarkation primarily for seasonal cruises to New England, Canada and Bermuda. The state's residents also make up a significant portion of U.S. cruisers. Some 557,000 Massachusetts residents took cruise vacations in 2005, comprising 6.1 percent of all U.S. cruise passengers.
"The cruise industry is one of the fastest growing in Massachusetts," said Thomas J. Kinton, Jr., Massport CEO & Executive Director. "Over the last decade, Cruiseport Boston has become a major player in the North American cruise industry with its positive impact on the U.S. economy. The cruise lines that bring tourists to our world-class city provide greater economic opportunity to the entire New England region, and a reflection of Cruiseport Boston's growing popularity is Massachusetts' new ranking among the top 10 states in terms of cruise spending in the local economy."
In direct cruise line spending, Massachusetts ranked 9th in the United States up from 11th in 2004. Of that, tourism-related businesses, such as travel agencies, airlines and hotels, in Massachusetts received more than 50 percent of the industry's direct expenditures at approximately $225 million. Another $120 million was spent with businesses including advertising agencies, insurance agencies, food processors and petroleum companies. The remaining 20 percent impacted industries such as law firms, computer services, software consulting, marketing and educational and training institutions throughout the state.
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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