Closure of the 2013 international cruise season at the Port of Quebec
05/24/2013
Québec, May 24, 2013 – The 2013 cruise season will officially end this Sunday, late afternoon, with the departure of the Emerald Princess from berth 22.
Over this weekend, over 9,000 visitors will admire the fall foliage in Québec City with the Crystal Symphony, the Aidabella and the Emerald Princess.
This season marks the second best cruise season in the Port’s history with approximately 161,000 visitors. The Port succeeded in consolidating its position as a world class destination port, while being the principal cruise port on the St.Lawrence.
The Port of Québec officially became the home port of the Veendam, from Holland America Lines, a first in the Port’s history. The ship made nine (9) visits to the Port of Québec as well as generating embarkation / disembarkation operations. A great success for the Port of Québec!
Also, the gesture of great generosity by the Queen Mary 2 (QM2) which assisted Mylène Paquette, a kayaker trying to become the first woman in North America to cross the Atlantic Ocean solo in oar. The Port thanked the Captain along with members of the maritime industry and Ms. Paquette’s family during their last visit in Québec City.
«We are particularly proud of the growth rate in the cruise industry for the Port. In only a year, we succeeded in increasing the number of destination passengers of 10,000 more. » said Mario Girard, President and Chief Executive Officer at the Québec Port Authority.
Major economic benefits for Québec city
The cruise ship industry is a major activity for the Québec region, tourism-wise and economically speaking. According to a study from the Ministère du Tourisme du Québec, the international cruise ship industry creates 85.9 M$ worth of direct economic benefits for the province of Québec. Note that for the Capitale-Nationale region, this represents $329 per destination passenger and $111 per stopover passenger.
-30-
For information:
Anick Métivier
Assistant Manger, Communications and Public relations
Québec Port Authority
Tel. : (418) 648-3640
[email protected]