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Record-breaking cruise season underway in Tampa
Justin Matthews reports
TAMPA, Fla. - Port Tampa Bay is about to break a record of having seven ships come in and out over five days.
The port hasn’t seen that many ships within that short timeframe in its history.
"You’re looking at about 14,000 passengers switching out during that time, so a busy time down there in Channelside," explained Matthew Thompson, the director of cruise operations and emergency management for Port Tampa Bay.
A vessel that carries 2,500 people with a 1,000-person crew, brings in about $330,000 to a home port per call, according to a recent study by Business Research and Economic Advisors on cruise tourism.
Travelers wait to board a cruise in Tampa.
"For this year, in total, we anticipate having 1.2 million passengers total coming through Port Tampa Bay, and the economic impact of the cruising season here in Tampa is about 628 million dollars," said Thompson.
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Those passengers eat at local restaurants and stay at nearby hotels. So when the port is busy, that means local businesses are too; helping them survive after losing nearly everything during the pandemic.
Port Tampa is bouncing back from the pandemic.
"When you look at Tampa, it’s such a great place to be. It’s a drive-in market here. People can come from all around to cruise. There are so many things to do in the Tampa area, so if folks want to get out and make a great Caribbean or Central American cruise, this is a great place to go and maybe spend a day or two on the front or back end to just enjoy Tampa a little bit," Thompson stated.
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Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, And Celebrity Cruises all sail from Port Tampa Bay.
A cruise ship at Port Tampa Bay.
The ships go to various destinations in the eastern and western Caribbean.