by Brian Major
Last updated: 12:25 PM ET, Thu October 24, 2024
Cruise tourism generated $4.27 billion in direct expenditures
in 33 Caribbean and Latin American destinations during the 2023-2024 cruise season,
a 27 percent increase over the previous record set in 2018, according to a
study released this week by Business Research & Economic Advisors (BREA).
Commissioned by the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association
(FCCA), the study also found that cruise operators created 94,000 jobs paying over
$1.27 billion in wages in the Caribbean and Latin American countries examined.
BREA used passenger and crew surveys to measure the direct impact
from cruise line spending for services and provisions, port fees and employment
generated through cruise ship calls.
Economic impact measurement information was drawn from local
government, regional development and international economic agency data, said FCCA
officials.
BREA’s study also found the Caribbean and Latin American destinations
surveyed hosted 29.4 million cruise passenger onshore visits in 2023-2024. Shipboard
travelers spent an average of $104.36 while ashore, generating $3.07 billion in
expenditures.
The 33 destinations also hosted 3.9 million onshore visits
from crew, who spent an average of $58.78 while in port, generating $229.5
million in expenditures. Overall, cruise lines spent $968.3 million in the countries
surveyed in 2023-2024, an average of $29.3 million per destination.
“We could not be prouder of these results and what they
mean for the lives and livelihoods of so many throughout the Caribbean and
Latin America,” said Michele Paige, FCCA’s CEO.
“In addition to showing what cruise tourism brings to these
destinations’ economies, many of the study’s findings will also serve as the
foundation of building further mutual success between cruise lines and
destination stakeholders,” Paige said.
BREA’s study found the 33.3 million total passenger and
crew visits in 2023-2024 represent a 13 percent increase compared with 2018. Additionally,
of the 31 common destinations in BREA’s 2018 and 2024 studies, 17 percent experienced
increased visitor arrivals.
BREA also reported that average per-passenger spending
increased for 26 of the 31 common destinations from the 2018 and 2024 studies, while
14 countries recorded average spending rates above $100 per passenger (up from
12 destinations in 2018).
On average, one cruise ship carrying 4,000 passengers and
1,640 crew generates $369,100 in spending during a port call ($339,800 and
$29,300, respectively).
FCCA officials said the study’s measure of cruise tourism
expenditures did not include indirect benefits including supplies purchased by
tour operators, restaurants and port authorities, although “the estimates of
these expenditures served as the basis for total employment and wage impacts,” they
said in a statement.
BREA’s study also did not measure indirect benefits
including spending from cruise passengers returning as overnight, land-based
guests, or other types of cruise line destination-focused spending including
NGO partnerships and marketing, said FCCA officials.
The Bahamas lead all destinations surveyed in BREA’s report
with $654.8 million in cruise expenditures during the 2023-2024 season,
followed by Cozumel, Mexico ($483.1 million); the U.S. Virgin Islands ($258.1
million), Saint Maarten ($237.8 million) and the Dominican Republic ($251.4
million).
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