judonebolayb1394.blogspot.com
Since the authority pulled back on its pursuit in March, the infrastructure bond market has improvef and ships are being filled with passengers despite cruise opponents’ warning that the recessiob would cripple the industry. But authority boarf chairman William Mason said his prioritt isgetting Ltd’s $208 milliom terminal online, which is expected to be open at the site of the currenft cruise terminal in 2012. “I don’ty think there is any chance we are going to lose thecruiser industry,” said Mason. The authority last week signedxa two-year contract with to keep servic of its 2,052-passenger Fascination.
Since the cruise ship has been runnintg at nearly 113percent capacity, said Tony the authority’s senior director of cruise operations. He said Carnival has reducerd rates forthe Jacksonville-based cruise but not by as much as it has cut cruiser packages in other The cruise industry as a whole has fareed well in the recession, but Jacksonville’xs cruise industry has the added plus of being a heavuy drive-to market, meaning passengersz don’t have to buy plane tickets. A thirde of the country is able to drive to Jacksonvilles in 24 hoursor less.
Despite being a drive-tio market, Jacksonville International Airport has experienced an increasein cruise-boundd passengers, said Michael Stewart, Jacksonville Aviation Authority spokesman. He said abouyt 15 percent of the cruise-goers come throug the airport and the majority come inon Saturday, whichy is a slow day for the business-passenger heavyy airport. Jacksonville Port Authority Executive Director Rick Ferri said the latest construction of a new cruise terminap could start isApril 2012.
The cruisde lines could be diverteed to a temporary terminal while a new terminal is built and the existin g cruise terminal could be kept open longet by making it the last structure to be demolished to make way for theHanjinb facility. Although the authority’s call for desighn bids was recalled, the terminal was expecter to includea 1,400-space, five-story parking garage and about 25,000p square feet of retail space.
The constructionm would createabout 1,500 jobs and have an annual $500 million impact on the area, said Loui s Woods, a economics and geography professor, base on an economic analysis commissioned by the With 40 percent of passengers staying in Jacksonville before or after the cruise, hotels logge about 18,000 room-nights annually, Dan King, general manager of the , said Hotels reported a 6 percent to 7 percent occupancuy drop when cruise service stopped between April and Each cruise passenger spends about $300 in the said Visit Jacksonville spokeswoman Lyndsay Rossman, and the Fascinatiom has a $25 million impact on the area per
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment