HALIFAX – The world’s largest ocean liner made its way into Halifax harbour Wednesday morning.
With a dreary start to the summer tourism season across our region, the arrival of the Queen Mary 2 is welcome news.
“Cruise ships are absolutely a vital piece of the tourism market and they’ve been a really stable piece for the past number of years,” said Paul MacKinnon, with the Downtown Halifax Business Commission.
The Cunard Line vessel, christened in 2004 by Queen Elizabeth II, has a capacity 2,600 passengers and 1,400 staff.
“So, we’re looking at 4,200 people potentially on that vessel,” said Halifax Port Authority spokesperson Lane Farguson. “This year, here in Halifax we’re expecting 133 vessels to call. With that will come about 240,000 passengers, which is right where we want to be and on par with where we were last year.
Nova Scotia’s cruise ship industry is worth $50 million annually.
“It’s great having a ship like the Queen Mary come in. You see lot’s of people coming out and exploring Halifax so every cruise ship we get in is great for business,” said Angela Malec, of Murphy’s on the Water.
The Queen Mary 2 will reach a milestone this Saturday, when it leaves New York and embarks on its 200th transatlantic crossing.
It will be back in this region later this year, with stops in Halifax and Saint John.
Halifax’s cruise season reaches its peak in September, when 44 vessels are expected to call on the port.
The season wraps up on Oct. 31.
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