Lake Ontario may not be the ocean, but cruise companies are still focusing on the city as a destination.
The Great Lakes Cruise Association (GLCA) mentions that a strong history of sea freight throughout the Great Lakes has allowed pleasure cruising to enter the scene over the last two decades.
“We have pilots who know how to move ships around, we have the St. Lawrence seaway authority with all of its locks, between the ocean and the Great Lakes, they know how to handle ships, and then when it comes to activity on shore, we have a very sophisticated tourism industry,” said GLCA executive director Stephen Burnett
The CEO of Victory Cruise Lines shares that his investments in Great Lakes routes are paying off and he expects further growth.
“We’re basically starting to scratch the surface of the market,” says John Waggoner. “For us to be 100 per cent full, we only need 7,000 guests per season, that’s one Oasis of the Seas out of [Fort] Lauderdale in a week.
“When I look around, what I’d sure like to see is a cruise terminal right downtown so people could get off there.”
This is something that the Toronto Port Authority confirms it is exploring.
“We’re actually looking at a feasibility study to move the cruise ship terminal into a downtown location, but we’re in the very early days of that, just to see if we can make it work,” TPA CEO RJ Steenstra tells City News.
James Maloney, MP for Etobicoke-Lakeshore, adds that support for future growth in this sector is increasing.
“This is a huge economic opportunity, not just for the City of Toronto, but for the ports all along the Great Lakes, so the short answer is yes, it is on the government’s radar.”
While major infrastructure projects like this take time to develop, the cruise association also pointed out that this region could manage up to 110 percent growth before facilities become an issue. They noted there are up to eight cruise lines seriously considering entering Toronto’s market.
A cruise ship is shown docked in Toronto’s harbour. CITYNEWS
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