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Montreal predicting 30% growth for next year

Montreal predicting 30% growth for next year
Montréal’s 2014 cruise season which opened on May 17 and ended this past November 11, has been its longest to date.

In total, 71,044 passengers and crew members transited through the cruise terminal this year for an increase of 2% over the 69,966 passengers and crew members in 2013.

Aida Bella, marked the largest cruise ship to visit the Canadian port bringing more than 2,500 passengers.

Since the creation of the Cruise Committee in 2009, the number of passengers and ships that have transited through Montréal has been constantly evolving.

Looking ahead to 2015, a projected 92,000 passengers and crew members, as well as 73 ships will call in Montréal, representing a hike of 30%.

‘The development work that the Cruise Committee has carried out is bearing fruit. The positive results of the end of the 2014 season and the predictions for 2015 indicate that we are on track to achieving the ambitious objectives we set for ourselves when we created the Committee,’ said Yves Lalumière, president and ceo of Tourisme Montréal.

‘Obviously, the cruise market will stay central to our strategic planning and, as a result, the Alexandra Pier renovation project is very important to us. The increase in this clientele supports our 2014-2018 strategic plan,’ he remarked.

‘This year’s results and the projections for next year indicate that Montréal has become a major draw not only in the international cruises market, but also for that of the Great Lakes. All ports of call upstream and downstream of Montréal will benefit from this, which generates important economic spin-offs for the city and for the entire province,’ added Sylvie Vachon, president and ceo of the Port of Montréal.

Supported by Tourisme Québec, the Montréal Cruise Committee comprises the Montréal Port Authority and Tourisme Montréal, as well as six other associations and local organizations: Aéroports de Montréal, the Old Port of Montréal Corporation, the Casino de Montréal, the Société de développement commercial du Vieux-Montréal, the Hotel Association of Greater Montréal and the Ville de Montréal.