THUNDER BAY – “It’s all hands on deck, and it’s exciting.”
The hustle and bustle is what the city’s tourism manager, Paul Pepe, told Newswatch he loved most about having two cruise ships docked in Thunder Bay Friday.
“Welcoming two ships, welcoming more visitors to the community, being able to showcase our community to more people, and, you know, it really showcases the popularity of Thunder Bay as a cruise destination,” he said.
The Viking Polaris is docked at Pool 6 for the day, while the Victory II is docked at Kiefer Terminal.
Pepe said the city is fortunate to have multiple docks to accommodate the cruise ship industry, since company schedule their trips around the Great Lakes two to three years in advance.
“It’s not a matter of asking a ship to come back another day. They’re planning their own itineraries; they’re selling their own itineraries. We make it work as a community.
Between the two ships, roughly 600 passengers are exploring the city, shopping and visiting landmarks like Fort William Historical Park, Kakabeka Falls, Terry Fox Monument, and Hillcrest Park, according to Pepe.
“They’re curious, they’re educated, they’re explorers, and they’re influential in their own social circles. So, when they see and experience something in Thunder Bay — great customer service, great experiences that they have here — they go home and tell their friends and family as well. That really helps elevate our reputation,” Pepe said.
He said the only issue with having so many visitors between the two ships is the finite number of coaches available, having to pull almost every single bus from all the coach companies in the city.
“There are logistical challenges, but working with Embark Port Services, they’re an excellent community partner. They run the shore excursions and all the ship logistics for a lot of the cruise lines locally,” Pepe said.
Although the city will see fewer ships making port this year than last, Pepe said there will still be over 3,000 visitors in the community throughout the summer.
“The crew as well have shore leave. They’re spending money in the community as well. The vessels are taking on supplies here. They’re taking on groceries here. They’re taking off waste here. There’s a broader economic impact that a lot of the other ports aren’t seeing that, you know, benefits just beyond the tourism industry,” he said.
This year, the city is anticipating seeing a complete economic impact of around 1.5 million, he added.
“The other benefit beyond just the economic impact of the visitors in the community and the ship servicing in the community, the marketing budgets for these cruise lines all feature Thunder Bay in their itineraries and in their marketing. That really extends our marketing reach to global audiences,” Pepe said.
This will be Victory II’s final stop in Thunder Bay before moving on, he said, but Viking Polaris will be back Monday.
Next weekend the Pearl Mist will make port for the first of two visits, and Viking Polaris’s sister ship, the Viking Octantis, will be back for four visits this year as well.
“So, another healthy summer ahead of us,” Pepe said.
