Some people come to Canada to experience our hospitality or take in the natural beauty.
But on Tuesday morning, at least one visitor, arriving on the first cruise ship of the season at Ogden Point, had a different reason.
“Justin Trudeau. You guys have such a good-looking prime minister,” joked Karen Robinson of Arizona, who was travelling with husband John and friends Lori and Mike Randalph from Los Angeles.
Lori Randalph said the couple wanted to visit Canada because they see it as a safe place to visit. “We have never been to Canada before and it was always on our ‘to-see’ list.” The 209-metre Sapphire Princess, with 2,600 passengers on board, was expected to remain in port for 14 hours and continue to Vancouver.
Passengers, who all boarded in Los Angeles, were given a traditional welcome by the Songhees Nation, including a performance by the Lekwungen dancers.
They also received a warm reception from some of the scores of businesses hoping to entice them to visit their retail operations or take a ride on their buses, horse-drawn carriages or pedicabs.
For downtown businesses and those in the hospitality industry, the arrival of the first cruise ship heralds the start of the tourist season. The passengers are among an estimated three million people expected to visit the region this season.
“Spring is actually here,” said Bruce Williams, CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce. “The return of cruise passengers is a sure sign of our continued post-pandemic economic recovery. These visitors represent an economic boon to the region.”
The Sapphire Princess is the first of about 320 ship calls and 850,000 passengers expected this cruise season, which typically runs from April to October.
While ship calls are projected to be slightly down from the 329 ships that berthed here last year, passenger numbers are anticipated to be up from last year’s 735,000 due to larger vessels visiting, according to the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority. Higher occupancy rates are also expected.
While docked, the Sapphire Princess runs its generators to produce electricity, but in coming years, cruise ships are expected to be able to plug into the local power grid, reducing emissions and noise.
The province last week announced $9 million to pay for engineering designs for a shore-power project at Ogden Point.
The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority has pegged the cost of shore power at up to $24.8 million, which advocates hope will be funded at least in part by the federal government.
“The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority is focused on sustainable port operations, supporting a positive experience for visitors and working with partners to reduce local and regional impacts,” said Robert Lewis-Manning, CEO of the harbour authority.
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