CRUISE INDUSTRY SPENT NEARLY $31 MILLION IN MAINE IN 2005

Contacts: International Council of Cruise Lines Christine Fischer or Lyndsay Rossman (703) 522-8463, cfischer@iccl.org or lrossman@iccl.org

Maine Port Authority/CruiseMaineUSA Brian Nutter 207-624-3564 or Brian.Nutter@maine.gov or Amy Powers 207-310-0998 or Director@CruiseMaineUSA.com

ARLINGTON, Va. (Aug. 31, 2006) — The cruise industry spent nearly $31 million in Maine in 2005, supporting 412 jobs that paid $14 million in wages and salaries according to an annual economic impact study by Business Research and Economic Advisors (BREA). The study was commissioned by the International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL).

Historically, Maine was primarily an autumn destination for coastal fall foliage cruises. However, in recent years, aggressive destination marketing has extended the cruise season from May through October. According to the Maine Port Authority, in 2005, Maine’s 11 ports hosted a total of 180 ship calls accounting for nearly 147,000 passenger days. Only five years earlier, in 2000, the state had 74 ship calls.

The dramatic growth of cruise ship calls in Maine has had a significant effect on cruise line spending and industry-related employment in the state. In 2005, cruise line direct expenditures totaled slightly less than $31 million versus less than $15 million in 2004 — an increase of 106 percent in a single year. Total employment rose from 293 jobs paying $8 million in 2004 to 412 jobs paying $14 million in 2005.

In direct cruise line spending, Maine saw the largest year-over-year increase in the manufacturing sector, which jumped from just over $1 million in 2004 to nearly $13 million in 2005, with over $11 million of that total coming in the manufacture of durable goods. As would be expected with more ship calls, the second largest impact came in the business services and government sector which saw an increase from $4.6 million in 2004 to $8.8 million in 2005, an increase of 91 percent.

“This is good news for the Maine economy because it shows that the cruise industry has an impact far beyond what is spent by the passengers,” stated Brian Nutter, Executive Director of the Maine Port Authority. “Maine products purchased by the cruise lines included e-marketing services, restaurant supplies, machinery parts, and even customized high-tech poker chips for the casinos.”

Nationwide, the North American cruise industry generated a total of $32.4 billion into the U.S. economy in 2005, an increase of nearly 8 percent over 2004. The BREA study also found that the cruise industry supported more than 330,000 U.S. jobs and paid $13.5 billion in wages and salaries in 2005.

The complete economic study can be found on the ICCL Web site at www.iccl.org.

NEWS DIRECTORS/ASSIGNMENT EDITORS NOTE: Broadcast-quality Beta-SP B-roll video is available upon request. Contact Buck Banks or Julie Ellis at 305-461-3300, buck@newmanpr.com or julie@newmanpr.com.

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