I love the cruise business. I've never been on a cruise and don't have any plans to, but it's great for Seattle. We had a handful of ships per year until 2000 or so, and now we have 200 per year. Each visit means a couple thousand people get off, and a couple thousand others get on, all in one day. So really it's over 400 sets of people coming through. That's quite an infusion of people. Some stay a night before and/or after, while the majority don't. But I'm guessing many who don't will come back to see the city later (what great marketing it is!).
I love the cruise business. I've never been on a cruise and don't have any plans to, but it's great for Seattle. We had a handful of ships per year until 2000 or so, and now we have 200 per year. Each visit means a couple thousand people get off, and a couple thousand others get on, all in one day. So really it's over 400 sets of people coming through. That's quite an infusion of people. Some stay a night before and/or after, while the majority don't. But I'm guessing many who don't will come back to see the city later (what great marketing it is!).
800,000 this year, 1,000,000 by 2015 (or sooner, depending on how the cruise market goes with the next administration and forthcoming economy change).
Great pictures!
__________________
"The United States is in no way founded upon the Christian religion." -- George Washington & John Adams in a diplomatic message to Malta