The Port of Vancouver has wrapped up a record cruise season. Between February and October, close to 1.4 million passengers visited on 358 ship calls, according to the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority figures summarized in local coverage.
The authority estimates those passengers injected close to a billion dollars into the local economy over the season, supporting hotels, restaurants, tours and transport operators across the region.
The record year underlines how central cruise traffic has become to Vancouver's visitor economy, even as the city debates the environmental and congestion costs that come with hundreds of large ship visits.
The season's close also marks the wind-down of one of the port's busiest operating periods, alongside cargo operations that keep Vancouver Canada's largest port.
