by Donald Wood
Last updated: 8:40 AM ET, Fri November 20, 2020
A new report from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) revealed the impact of the cruise industry on the United States economy in 2019.
According to the CLIA's latest findings, cruising generated a total of $55.5 billion in economic activity across the U.S. last year, a 5.3 percent increase from 2018.
The industry also supported 436,600 American jobs that paid $24.4 billion in wages in 2019, a 3.5 percent and 5.4 percent increase from the previous year, respectively.
In total, over 13.7 million passengers embarked on cruise ships from U.S. ports last year, up nearly eight percent from 2018 and 26 percent from five years ago.
"The pre-pandemic trends clearly demonstrate that cruising has emerged as one of the fastest growing sectors of travel and tourism," CLIA president Kelly Craighead said. "The cruise industry is proud to play an important role in the creation of jobs and economic opportunity for nearly half a million Americans throughout the country."
"At the same time, we recognize the devastating impact that COVID-19 has had on our community," Craighead continued. "A resumption of cruising in the United States in 2021, with stringent measures in place and with the support of health authorities, will be critical to putting people back to work and fueling the greater economic recovery from the pandemic."
The report highlights the cruise industry's economic contributions across multiple sectors, including transportation and aviation, food and beverage, lodging, manufacturing, agriculture, travel agencies and supply chains.
The states economically benefitting the most from the contributions of the cruise industry include Florida, California, Texas, New York, Alaska, Washington, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey and Louisiana.
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