A record number of cruise ships will visit Prince Edward Island in 2013 and a local member of the Legislative Assembly wants the passengers to experience more of the Island.
Tory MLA James Aylward says he is pleased so many ships are scheduled to stop in P.E.I., but would like to see their tourist dollars spread to areas outside Charlottetown and Cavendish.
“There’s many activities out there that I feel the visitors would really love to see,” he said.
“We’re already hearing that there’s extensive lineups to go through Anne of Green Gables house, they’re not really catching the true experience because they’re just being rushed through or herded through so quickly.”
He said he’s been speaking with groups in areas such as Georgetown and Montague, encouraging them to put together visitation packages to try to invite more of these passengers to their communities.
Aylward believes the Tourism Department should he helping these communities to put these packages together.
“They do need some help. We can’t let them just try to do it on their own, we need cooperation, we need partnership and (the department) really needs to take the lead on that.”
A total of 75 cruise-ship visits are currently booked for 2013.
That’s 24 more stops than last year, and almost double the number of stops in 2011 when 39 tours docked in Charlottetown.
On Thursday Tourism Minister Robert Henderson expressed his delight in the large number of ships on their way to P.E.I this year.
“Our department works very closely with the Charlottetown Harbour Authority and the Atlantic Canada Cruise Association to promote Prince Edward Island as a top cruise ship destination on the eastern seaboard.
“We have invested a great deal of time, effort and capital to provide the facilities necessary to host large cruise ships, and to show cruise ship operators the benefits of a stop on Prince Edward Island,” Henderson said.
“It’s great to see that effort paying off.”
The first ship will dock on May 8 and the last will leave port on October 27. Tourism P.E.I.’s objective was to increase cruise ship passenger visitation by 30 per cent in 2013 and that goal has been surpassed.
In a government news release, Corryn Morrissey, of the Charlottetown Harbour Authority said the additional calls from cruise lines provides a great opportunity for local operators to capitalize on this growing market.
“Not only do we have the opportunity to showcase our island to passengers when they’re here, but we also give them a reason to return again for a longer stay.”
Government estimates the cruise ship sector adds approximately $CAD13.4 million to the provincial economy annually and provides a boost for local businesses in the spring and fall shoulder seasons.
