BAR HARBOR, Maine — Cruise ship traffic and the economic impact it has in Maine continues to grow, according to an industry study released Monday.
Tuesday, Sept. 30, is expected to be the busiest day for cruise ship traffic for Maine’s 2014 tourist season, which is on track to be the busiest ever, according to officials. Seven cruise ships — three in Bar Harbor, two in Portland, and one each in Rockland and Camden — are expected to bring more than 11,500 passengers to Maine, according to the marketing entity CruiseMaineUSA.
Trade industry group Cruise Lines International Association released an economic impact analysis that shows direct spending in Maine by cruise ship companies and passengers increased slightly in 2013 from its 2012 level. According to the latest estimates, the companies and passengers spent more than $46.1 million in Maine last year, up by nearly $1 million from the year before. The association estimates the industry last year generated 747 jobs with cumulative income of about $25 million.
“We’re seeing consistent growth for our cruise ports which is how we prefer to manage the cruise tourism,” Amy Powers, director of CruiseMaineUSA, said Monday in a prepared statement. “This type of growth ensures we can provide sustainable product that both the cruise industry and our communities can rely on for a long successful relationship.”
Tourism officials in Maine have said each cruise ship passenger on average is estimated to spend approximately $100 at each port they visit. With 11,500 scheduled to visit Maine on Sept. 30, that would mean $1.15 million spent by cruise ship passengers in one day in Maine.
Bar Harbor, Maine’s busiest cruise ship port, had a record of 126 cruise ship visits last year and, despite several cancellations, is on pace to set a new high mark, according to Charlie Phippen, the town’s harbor master. He said recently the resort town had 137 visits scheduled for the year, as of midsummer; so far, only nine of them have been canceled because of weather or other complications.
The peak cruise ship season in Maine is in September and October, when 47 of Portland’s 74 scheduled visits for the year are expected. Bar Harbor is expected to have 81 cruise ship visits during those two months, with 42 of them scheduled between Oct. 1 and Nov. 1.
Jessica Grondin, spokeswoman for the city of Portland, said Monday in an email the approximately 82,000 cruise ship passengers expected in the city between June and November of this year would represent a 15 percent increase in the number of passengers from 2013. Portland had 58 visits and 71,000 passengers last year.
