There are signs of a comeback in the city’s cruise ship industry,WVUE in New Orleans is reporting.
The Port of New Orleans says some cruise ship business is already returning but the larger ships won’t be arriving until September.
“We want to get back to being that international place to be in the world,” Mayor Latoya Cantrell told the station.
The CDC has approved cruise passenger service for Florida and Texas ports beginning in July, now the Port of New Orleans says the Carnival Glory will be returning to New Orleans September 5th, offering 7 day cruises, WVUE reports.
”We want to get the segment back as soon as possible because it would help restore the economy and the jobs that go along with that,” Mark Romig with New Orleans & Company told WVUE.
In 2019 the cruise ship industry produced $250 million in direct spending for the city of New Orleans as it handled over a half million passengers, the station reports.
”We will have cruise passengers come and stay a couple days before they get on the boat for the ship and then when they get back they stay a couple more days,” Romig told WVUE.
For cruise ships handling thousands of passengers to return, strict coronavirus protocols will need to be adhered to and city officials say they’re working on it, the station reports.
To read more about that, along with the rest of WVUE's story, click here.
