The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) set passenger site visitors and vessel name data in March, together with river journeys on the beautiful Mississippi River and oceangoing sailings alongside the Gulf Coast.
With numbers topping the pre-pandemic file, this means a tremendous curiosity in cruising from The Massive Simple and places the port metropolis on monitor for a file variety of passengers all through the fiscal yr.
New Information Set for Port NOLA
New cruise site visitors data have been set at The Port of New Orleans for March 2023, with 155,225 passenger actions in addition to a complete of 39 vessel calls, together with each river cruises and ocean voyages. The general passenger numbers embody homeport visitors and transit visitors visiting New Orleans as a port of name.
These numbers surpass the Port’s earlier month-to-month excessive from February 2020, which recorded 154,409 passenger actions and 31 vessel calls simply earlier than the cruise trade shut down as a result of COVID-19 pandemic. This reveals sturdy ongoing demand for several types of cruises, and nice curiosity in visiting New Orleans through cruise ships.
“These file numbers spotlight how demand for cruising from New Orleans by no means went away, as folks from all around the world returned to our vibrant metropolis to launch their cruise holidays as quickly as they had been in a position,” mentioned Brandy D. Christian, Port NOLA President and CEO.
In 2021, Carnival Cruise Line was the primary to renew oceangoing sailings from New Orleans when Carnival Glory set sail on September 19. All through 2022, Carnival averaged 110% occupancy on sailings from Port NOLA.
At present, a number of cruise strains homeport from New Orleans at the very least seasonally, together with Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Disney Cruise Line. American Cruise Strains, American Queen Voyages, and Viking Cruises additionally supply common river cruises from New Orleans.
Different strains additionally use the town as a well-liked port of name, with vessels from Holland America Line, TUI Cruises, and Movie star Cruises. If these numbers proceed all through 2023, the port will undoubtedly set new annual data as properly.
Booming Tourism within the Crescent Metropolis
Cruises deliver a substantial amount of tourism to New Orleans, serving to native companies flourish with pre- and post-cruise vacationers, native excursions, souvenirs, and rather more.
“Our cruise line companions proceed to decide to the New Orleans market, and that’s excellent news for Louisiana tourism and hospitality,” mentioned Christian.
At Port NOLA, 90% of cruise visitors journey from out-of-state to succeed in the port, and 73% of cruise visitors spend one or two days in New Orleans both earlier than or after their cruise.
That generates greater than 300,000 lodge room nights in New Orleans and greater than $125 million in native spending every year, bolstering each the native economic system and the soundness of hospitality-related jobs.
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Proximity to New Orleans’ world-famous facilities, sights, and festivals; a thriving worldwide airport to service vacationers from world wide; and a big drive-in market place Port NOLA for much more cruise trade progress within the years to return, and can deliver much more wonderful crusing alternatives for keen cruise vacationers.
