Carnival Miracle Makes NYC its Homeport

Carnival Miracle Makes NYC its Homeport
By Jermaine Taylor

The Big Apple’s thriving tourism industry just got another shot in the arm: Cruise ship Carnival Miracle announced Wednesday that it would make the city its year-round home port. The move, which goes into effect next April and will result in Carnival Miracle making an additional 21 calls at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, will usher an estimated 52,000 additional embarking passengers into the city.

According to the city’s Economic Development Corp., which manages both the Manhattan and Brooklyn cruise terminals, cruise passengers and crew spent approximately $145 million while ashore last year, a 54 percent increase from the $94 million spent in 2009. Overall, 2010 saw a record-breaking 48.8 million visitors come to New York, second only to Orlando’s 51.4 million domestically.

“The cruise industry continues to be an economic boon for the city, and today’s announcement that the Carnival Miracle will start offering year-round cruises from New York City will do even more to stimulate our economy, bringing additional visitors and generating nearly $13 million in direct spending,” Seth Pinsky, president of NYCEDC, said in a statement.

The announcement came at the Cruise Canada New England Symposium, an annual gathering of cruise industry leaders aimed at promoting tourism in Canada and the New England region. The symposium, which is being held in the city for the first time in its 13-year history, attracted more than 220 attendees, including several cruise line presidents.

“New York is one of the highest-rated home ports for ‘Fun Ship’ cruising,” said Gerry Cahill, Carnival’s president and chief executive. “Carnival Miracle’s new, year-round eight-day departures offer consumers the best of both worlds—a choice of three attractive year-round Caribbean and Bahamas itinerary options with the opportunity to depart from one of the world’s great cities.”

George Fertitta, CEO of NYC & Co., the city’s tourism bureau, also heralded the announcement as yet another win for the Big Apple economy. “New York City’s cruise industry is so vital to the health of our $31 billion tourism industry—as more cruise lines call on New York, more visitors will get a chance to experience the five boroughs’ unique energy, diversity and dynamism,” he said.

Tourism is New York’s fifth largest industry, supporting close to 320,000 jobs across the five boroughs.