Galveston’s cruise industry sails into growth

GALVESTON – Texas had the third-largest economic impact from the cruise industry out of all states in 2012, according to a recent report from Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

In 2012, Texas saw $1.2 billion in direct spending from the cruise industry, which accounted for 6.3 percent of total spending of the nation’s cruise industry. Furthermore, 20,000 Texas residents were directly employed because of the economic impact of the cruise industry.

The only major cruise port in Texas in 2012 was on Galveston Island, so the area absorbed the bulk of the economic impact. There were 604,000 cruise passengers that embarked from Galveston in 2012, which is an increase of about 32 percent from 2011, according the CLIA. That made it the second-fastest growing cruise port in the United States.

Galveston also expects 2013 to be an even better year for business since it is adding new cruise offerings, such as Royal Caribbean’s “Navigator of the Seas” ship.