by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 3:09 PM ET, Tue February 20, 2018
Thanks in large part to the growing number of cruises visiting the island, Cuba is set to become a $2.2 billion travel market.
Miami-based Norwegian Cruise Line alone could deliver an additional 15,488 passengers to the island as part of nine new itineraries between 2017 and 2019 that include Cuba, according to Cubatrade.org.
During the same time frame, cruise lines operating from the United States will bring more than half a million passengers to Cuba on at least 344 scheduled sailings, a figure which includes the Norwegian Cruise travelers.
It is estimated that all of those trips and visitors will translate into more than $781 million gross revenues for the cruise companies, as well $83 million spent on the island itself by cruise passengers. Finally, the cruises will bring in at least $22 million in port fees for Cuba.
The airline industry also stands to benefit from the Cuba-bound cruise boom in the form of more than $235 million derived from people flying to Florida to participate in the sailings. Hotels, restaurants and ground transportation meanwhile are also likely to see more than $100 million in associated business.
Cubatrade.org reported the three largest cruise lines, through their various brands such as Oceana Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Holland America Line, among others, have about 344 itineraries combined that include port calls in Cuba for 2017 through 2019.
The largest three cruise lines serving the destination include Miami-based Norwegian, Carnival Corporation, and Royal Caribbean.
If all of those ships were to sail at capacity, the number of visitors arriving in Cuba would reach the organization's estimate of more than 586,000 travelers.
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