Coastal Bend Cruise Ship Potential
The Coastal Bend is an increasingly popular vacation choice for residents and tourists. The cruise ship industry offers a year-round vacation option with a huge economic impact for South Texas. Presently, Texas, Louisiana and Florida make up the Gulf/Caribbean Region of the cruise industry, and 48% of cruise passengers reside in this region.
Population growth, a strong consumer market, as well as good air quality and roadway connections are projected to drive significant growth for the Texas cruise industry. It is projected that by 2036, the number of Texas cruise liner passengers will increase from 1.7 million annually to 4.6 million passengers annually.
To accommodate this potential growth, Texas has an opportunity to develop and research locations for these cruise ships. Other locations would enable the industry to meet the growing demand, provide easier access to ships, and create openings for other markets. With the construction of the new Harbor Bridge, the Coastal Bend is positioned to help with Texas’s cruise liner traffic in the coming years. The new bridge will stand nearly 70 feet taller than the original, and in conjunction with the deepening of Corpus Christi’s ship channel, the Coastal Bend will be able to harbor larger ships, such as cruise liners. In addition to creating a new source of revenue for the Coastal Bend, the cruise ships will act as a huge tourism booster.
This is a very exciting opportunity for our quickly growing area as it will create new jobs and provide a significant source of new income for local businesses. The Coastal Bend’s economy thrives off of small, local businesses and is home to numerous unique tourist destinations. The USS Lexington, the Art Museum of South Texas, Port Aransas Nature Preserve, Corpus Christi and Port Aransas Beaches, and the Texas State Aquarium are all focal points of tourism for the state and would benefit greatly from the influx of tourism that a cruise ship destination provides.
Cruise ship passengers and crew members spend money at most, if not all, stops during a cruise. Homeport passengers typically spend $105, overnight passengers spend over $250 prior to embarkation, and crew members spend around $30 prior to each embarkation. A weekly cruise ship with 3,200 passengers produces around $100 million per year in a community and state.
Further information on how the cruise ship industry affects the economy can be found by visiting Global News Wire.
If you have any questions regarding this article, please do not hesitate to call my Capitol Office or District Office. (Capitol Office, (512)-463-0672; District Office, (361)-949-4603).
-State Representative Todd Hunter, District 32
Rep. Hunter represents Nueces County (Part). He can be contacted at todd.hunter@house.texas.gov or at (512)-463-0672.
