TAMPA, Fla. — Port of Tampa Bay is a major part of the Channel District.
“The Port’s economic impact is over $34.7 billion a year in direct, indirect jobs, and consumption and so on,” said Raul Alfonso, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer for Port Tampa Bay.
WATCH Port of Tampa Bay plans to build 4th cruise terminal to meet demand
He shared they’re expecting another record-breaking number of cruise passengers this year.
“We are projecting about $1.8 million towards the end of this fiscal year,” said Alfonso.
As that number grows, there’s only one problem.
“We have a demand that we cannot meet,” said Alfonso.
The port currently has three cruise terminals that are operating near capacity.
That’s why they’re now looking to build a fourth terminal.
Tampa Bay 28 spoke with Lori Judd, certified travel agent and owner of Prestige Travel Vacations, to talk about the demand she sees when working with clients for cruises out of Tampa.
“There is a need. Right now, there’s already more cruise lines wanting to come here and cruises in port than we can handle,” said Judd.
A 4th terminal would bring in more than 200 cruise calls, one million more passengers— bringing the total passenger count to about 3 million annually—and an additional $100 million in economic impact.
That’s money nearby businesses rely on.
“Our cruise passengers that come here, that stay at hotels, eat at the restaurants, go to different attractions, it’s a tremendous impact for our community,” said Alfonso.
“There is definitely a big impact from when there is a cruise ship in town, and we see that difference in the occupancy and just activity in the hotel,” said Chris Petterson, Director of Sales for Home2 Suites.
He told Tampa Bay 28 that the hotel has a big influx in guests the night before a cruise goes out.
“The cruise port in general and even the port itself overall, is definitely a demand driver for the business that we see at the hotel,” said Petterson.
Tampa, while limited in ship size due to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, has become a popular cruise port for mid-sized cruises.
“The Skyway Bridge is there. It’s something that the port and the community have known for many, many years. There is something to be said about having to travel with 6,000 passengers. The cruise passengers, guests are evolving… This is the mid-sized vessels, where there is more of a comfort, less lines, and so on and so forth. So we have carved ourselves a very nice niche as being the best mid-sized port for our region,” said Alfonso.
As the port works on plans for the new terminal, Alfonso said it will be part of a bigger picture, in between the developments of major districts, and part of the evolution of downtown Tampa.
“It’s going to be aligned with our master plans," said Alfonso.
It’s something nearby businesses support.
"From the revenue that these passengers spend in the businesses, to the tax dollars they generate for the city as a whole, it’s something I think is going to benefit the whole area,” said Petterson.
The project is expected to be complete in the next 2.5 to 3 years.
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