After a two-year pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the first cruise ship has arrived in Victoria.
CHEK reports Holland America’s Koningsdam ship arrived shortly after 10 a.m. local time at Ogden Point in Victoria, B.C. on Saturday with 1,200 passengers on board.
It’s the first cruise ship to dock in Canadian waters in more than two years.
“We know that cruise ship passengers enjoy everything our communities have to offer, helping support thousands of jobs in the maritime, tourism, hospitality, and agricultural sectors across the province,” Rob Fleming, B.C.’s minister of transportation and infrastructure, said in a release from Cruise Lines International Association.
Prior to 2020, the cruise industry provided more than $4 billion to the Canadian economy annually and provided for 30,000 jobs, according to the Tourism Industry Association of Canada.
“I stood out on our pier today beside my colleagues as we welcomed the first ship back to Victoria since October 2019, it was an emotional moment,” Anna Pousty of the Victoria Cruise Industry Alliance told CHEK.
Victoria hopes to welcome some 365 ships from now until early November, with 780,000 passengers.
The Caribbean Princes from Princess Cruises was expected to be the first ship to dock in Canada following the pandemic, but had its visit cancelled due to what the cruise line said were maintenance issues.
The Konigsdam was expected to steam into Vancouver today (Sunday, April 10).
