The economic impact of the cruise industry in Canada has topped $3.2 billion in 2016, with about two thirds of that impact in BC alone.
Findings from a recent study detailing the industry's economic impact show the contribution to be increasing at a healthy rate in all three of Canada's coastal cruise regions - B.C., Quebec and Atlantic Canada. Cruise-related spending in Canada increased by 34 per cent between 2012 and 2016.
Ian Robertson, CEO of the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, says "These numbers are further proof that the cruise industry is increasingly important to our economy, not just in B.C., but across Canada as well.
B.C. continues to be the biggest beneficiary of direct cruise industry spending, accounting for 66 per cent of the national total. Cruise lines produced $982 million in direct spending and $1.22 billion in indirect economic impact.