With the successful completion of the 2013 cruise season on Prince Edward Island, the Historic Charlottetown Seaport has taken cruising to our Island to a whole new level.

This year welcomed a record number of passengers and crew to the Historic Charlottetown Seaport, generating an astounding $10.4 million* estimated economic impact on Prince Edward Island. This number surpasses last year’s by a staggering $3 million confirms the value the cruise industry to PEI and our region.

The 2013 cruise season closed with total visitation of 93,000 passengers and 41,500 crew. These numbers surpass last year’s by 25,400 and 9,800 respectively. “A contributing factor to this year’s success has been the addition of the Holland America’s summer sailings, along with an incredible fall season accompanied by great weather,” explained Les Parsons, Chief Executive Officer of the Charlottetown Harbour Authority. 

The 2012 season, recorded 51 ship visits and 67,562 passengers, and had 7 ship calls cancel due to inclement weather. “Seeing the year over year increase in cruise visitation to PEI speaks volumes for the efforts that have been placed on growing this business,” said Stan MacPherson, Chair of the Board for the Charlottetown Harbour Authority.

The 2014 season is also looking good. “Now that we’ve seen such significant growth over the past number of years, we will be looking to maintain these numbers for the 2014 season,” stated Corryn Morrissey, Manager of Marketing and Communications with the Charlottetown Harbour Authority. “With the cruise industry facing Emission Control legislation in our region, we are pleased with our numbers.”