The sailings this year at Seattle’s cruise terminals will include 7 cruise lines. Good news for the city’s economy as it recovers from the pandemic. It’s the start of a cruise season in Seattle that might be the busiest one yet. The cruise season is expected to support 5,500 jobs, and generate $14.5 million in statewide taxes.
“Each homeported vessel brings in over $4 million to the local economy each time it provisions at the dock,” the Port of Seattle said in a statement. Industry experts say 60% of cruise passengers come back to visit a port of call they first experienced on a cruise.
“As we continue our work to activate Downtown as a safe and welcoming place for neighbors and visitors, we are excited to welcome hundreds of thousands of cruise passengers to Seattle,” Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell said.
A spokesperson for Harrell also added, “As the mayor made clear in his State of the City address — effective public safety is core to ensuring a revitalized downtown is a place residents, neighbors, visitors, tourists want to be. That’s why we continue to bring a comprehensive approach through increased police presence and emphasis patrols, homelessness action and outreach getting people out of tents and into shelter, a holistic graffiti strategy, activation efforts, and more.”
“Last year’s cruise season was huge for downtown and this season should be even bigger,” a spokesperson for the Downtown Seattle Association said, “The Port of Seattle expects a record number of passengers, and those big boats carry a big impact on downtown Seattle, boosting our city’s vibrancy as visitors explore all of our downtown neighborhoods. An estimated $900M injection into the local economy is a powerful element for downtown’s continued recovery.”
