The Port of Seattle begins the 2016 cruise season welcoming the first ship call, Holland America Cruise Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam. Larger vessels and more cruises will make this the biggest cruise season ever with nearly one million revenue passengers. Each homeported cruise vessel is estimated to bring in $2.6 million for the local economy.
“Cruising to Alaska continues to be an economic driver for our region," said Port of Seattle Commissioner John Creighton. “With all the great things to see and do throughout Washington State, we are working to increase the economic impact by having passengers stay for an extra few days.”
Seattle’s cruise business—currently leading all cruise homeports on the west coast in passenger volume—is responsible for over 3,700 jobs, $459 million in annual business revenue, and $17.6 million annually in state and local tax revenue.
"Holland America Line's headquarters have been in Seattle for more than 30 years, and we've been sailing from here even longer, giving us deep roots in this amazing city," said Orlando Ashford, Holland America Line's president. "As Seattle's Hometown Cruise Line it's always exciting to see our ships at Pier 91, and we're proud to have ms Nieuw Amsterdam kick off the Alaska cruise season, especially as it’s the ship’s first time ever in Seattle."