Cruise Industry Spending Tops $712 Million, Generates 22,894 Jobs in Hawaii in 2007

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Oct. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- The North American cruise industry contributed $712 million in direct spending to theHawaii economy in 2007, according to a recently released study commissioned for Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

This spending, in turn, generated 22,894 jobs paying $674 million in wage income. This represents 3.8 percent of the industry's total U.S. direct expenditures, ranking the state sixth in the nation in terms of cruise industry spending.

Hawaii continues to be one of the most popular cruise destinations, welcoming cruise ships fromCanada, the continental U.S. andMexico as well as ships homeported inHawaii. There were an estimated 1.7 million cruise passenger and crew visits at Hawaiian ports of call in 2007, a 10 percent increase and accounting for 8.4 percent of the national total. 2007 Hawaiian cruise embarkations were 382,200, down 6 percent from 2006.

"The cruise industry continues to make an impressive contribution to the economic well-being of the country andHawaii plays a significant role as a beneficiary of industry spending and job creation," said Terry L. Dale, president and CEO of CLIA.

The Contribution of the North American Cruise Industry to the U.S. Economy in 2007 study was conducted by Business Research & Economic Advisors (BREA) inExton, Pa., and analyzes the economic benefits to the U.S. economy from five principal sources: spending by cruise passengers and crew; shoreside staffing by cruise lines in U.S. cities; expenditures by cruise lines for goods and services; U.S. port services; and vessel maintenance and repair.

Among other keyHawaii findings:

    --  Tourism-related businesses such as tour operators, airlines, hotels,
        restaurants and providers of ground transportation were the
        beneficiaries of nearly two-thirds of the cruise industry spending,
        receiving $462 million.
    --  Another $32 million was spent with businesses in such sectors as food
        processors, petroleum refiners, insurance companies, advertising
        agencies and health services providers.

Nationwide, the North American cruise industry continued to have a significant and growing impact on the U.S. economy in 2007, positively affecting every state in the country. Cruise line and passenger spending generated a total of $38 billion in gross economic output, a 6.4 percent increase over 2006, and generated 354,700 American jobs paying $15.4 billion in wages and salaries. Direct spending by cruise lines, their employees and passengers totaled $18.7 billion.

The full economic study and summary can be downloaded from CLIA's Web site, www.cruising.org.

About CLIA

The nonprofit Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) is North America's largest cruise industry organization. CLIA represents the interests of 24 member lines and participates in the regulatory and policy development process while supporting measures that foster a safe, secure and healthy cruise ship environment. CLIA is also engaged in travel agent training, research and marketing communications to promote the value and desirability of cruise vacations and counts as members 16,000 travel agencies. For more information on CLIA, the cruise industry, and CLIA-member cruise lines and travel agencies, visit www.cruising.org/.

SOURCE Cruise Lines International Association

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