Despite economy, North American cruise industry continues to prosper
The North American cruise industry generated 329,943 jobs that contributed a US$15.2 billion wage impact on the US economy last year, a 5.1 percent increase in employment and a 7.0 percent rise in wages over 2009, according to the latest independent study commissioned by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).
The total cruise industry economic impact in the US in 2010 was $37.85 billion of gross output, a 7.8 percent increase over last year.
This positive economic contribution spread across every state economy via $18 billion in direct cruise industry spending, with ten states accounting for 78 percent of total employment and income impacts.
"These job numbers are good news given the challenging economy," said Howard Frank, CLIA's chairman.
Christine Duffy, CLIA's president, said:
"As a global industry, cruise lines have managed to navigate through some tough economic times that have made vacationing decisions for millions of people more difficult. Our members have also worked through adversity created by geopolitical events and natural disasters.”
State by state, the cruise industry's economic impact varied according to the scope of cruise line operations, with the major benefactors being those states with ports of embarkation.
In Florida, which accounts for 60 percent of all US embarkations, the industry generated $6.3 billion in direct spending which helped create 123,255 jobs paying $5.4 billion in income.
California, with 10 percent of the cruise industry's direct expenditures, was the beneficiary of $1.8 billion in spending and 41,697 jobs.
By David Wilkening
David
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