LITTLE CURRENT—Last December, the Cruise Ship Industry Group, of which the Northeast Town is a part (as well as seven other Ontario ports), received a grant from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport to undertake a study to develop an Ontario cruise ship industry business case. The study wrapped up this fall and shows that, with proper investment, the cruise ship industry could bring in almost $11 million annually to the province.
The study purports that with an annual investment of $625,000 for the creation/operations of a new regional and Ontario-based cruise tourism association to move the cruise ship industry forward over the next 10 years, the region could host more than 1.7 million passengers to its ports and some 356,000 cruise visitors to the Ontario ports visited by the cruise ship industry.
“With the development of the cruise consumer market, 143 new jobs could be created and anchored by cruise tourism, and upwards of $71.1 million in personnel income, upwards of $85.7 million in business revenue and upwards of $9.8 million in provincial and local taxes in total would be generated from 2019 to 2028,” the study report states. “Thus, a $6.25 million investment would generate more than $11.3 million in additional income/revenues/tax, moving the region and ports of Ontario from a period of natural growth to a new reality of small ship luxury/exploration cruising in the Great Lakes.”
The ultimate goal, the study notes, it to make the Great Lakes region into a world-class cruise destination.
In a breakdown of the eight Ontario Great Lakes ports of call and their infrastructure needs, it was noted that the Little Current berths have the ability to accommodate two cruise vessels simultaneously, but that drafts (the amount of below-water depth a particular vessel requires) may challenge larger vessels at the port and further assessments should be conducted to determine the return on investment on a (dredging) project to alleviate this issue. “It is unlikely that the ability to berth a few additional, larger cruise vessels per year would make the project viable. But due to its location in Georgian Bay, it is more likely to see some multiple-call traffic for vessels entering and exiting the area.”
The study calls for an action plan that will build a new market; create high levels of cruise visitors satisfaction and further promote the region for return visits; support new activities and shore excursion options that provide increased daily spending; ensure infrastructure provides for a seamless visitor experience for homeport and port of call operations; and provide a regional environment that is supportive of cruise industry growth and renders the highest possible socioeconomic impacts to the communities visited.
The preliminary budget to help achieve these goals is $600,000 annually.
Northeast Town Mayor Al MacNevin said that dredging the Little Current harbour was beyond the coffers of any level of government, noting that the study did show that Little Current infrastructure is “sufficient.”
“There is benefit,” he told The Expositor, “it’s just a question of return on investment. It does show the potential for growth.”
Mayor MacNevin noted that the Port of Little Current saw 30 cruise ship visit last year. In terms of economic development, the mayor said it appears to be good for local business, but there’s been no real measure of cruise ships and their impact on the Island economy.
“We’ll have to wait and see if this government wants to support this,” the mayor said.
