September 25, 2009

Regional Effort Backs First Royal Caribbean Call To Rockland

From Seatrade Online

ROCKLAND —When Royal Caribbean International makes its first call to Maine’s Rockland on Oct. 4, it will be the culmination of years of effort by the community and the wider Penobscot Bay region.

Local officials say the impact of Jewel of the Seas’ visit will be felt beyond the city to the surrounding communities of Owls Head, Rockport and Camden. The call is also seen as significant for Maine’s economy in that it puts a new port on the international big-ship charts.

‘This visit has been six years in the making,’ said Frank Isganitis, chairman of the Cruise Welcoming Committee, comprised of Rockland municipal staff and members of the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber and the Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville Chamber.

Rockland will close Harbor Park to regular vehicular traffic when Jewel of the Seas is in port to ease pedestrian and motorcoach flow. Music groups will provide entertainment before and after the ship’s welcome ceremony. Volunteers in downtown Camden and Rockland will be visible by their lobster-red vests.

‘This is a great example of what we can achieve by coordinating our efforts and combining our various strengths in pursuit of a regional goal, namely increased cruise ship traffic,’ said Dan Bookham, executive director of the Camden-Rockport-Lincolnville Chamber. A plan has been developed that ‘shows off our communities to a company that explicitly seeks multifaceted visits for its passengers,’ he added.

Royal Caribbean’s top sales executive told Seatrade Insider her company is delighted to come to Rockland.

‘We know that the beautiful town of Rockland will offer Jewel of the Seas’ guests an enriching port of call, and exemplify the wonderful experiences available in the great state of Maine,’ said RCI’s Vicki Freed, svp sales. ‘We are particularly grateful to the businesses and people of Rockland for all of their preparations to make a grand welcome for Jewel of the Seas, and look forward to returning to Rockland next year.’

In an economic downturn where tourism dollars are tough to come by, the local communities are eager to show their best face to cruise passengers. Camden is known as ‘the jewel of the Maine coast,’ with scenic Mount Battie as the backdrop of Camden Harbor. Rockland’s working waterfront has a long history in shipbuilding, lime and fishing, yet today is emerging as an arts, cultural and culinary destination.

Shari Closter, interim director of Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber, pointed to infrastructure investments as vital for tourism. New rail and air connections recently emerged. ‘It feels like Rockland has come full circle now with Royal Caribbean greatly increasing leisure travel passenger service back to our waterfront,’ she said. ‘With this one vessel, Rockland will be hosting the same number of passengers in one day that we hosted all of last year relying solely on business from regional cruise industry providers.’

Maine ports will handle 282 cruise calls this season, accounting for more than 230,000 passenger days and providing an economic impact of more than $25m, according to Amy Powers, director of CruiseMaine.

‘The Rockland visit is the first new commercial passenger vessel destination in Maine in over 20 years,’ she said. ‘Creating new ports of call will likely lead to greater annual ship visits in Maine, fueling both the local and regional economies.’

###

The CruiseMaine Coalition in partnership with the Maine Port Authority and the communities of Bangor, Belfast, Boothbay Harbor, Bar Harbor, Bucksport, Camden, Eastport, Freeport, Kennebunk-Kennebunkport, Portland, Rockland and several Associate Members including Chase Leavitt & Co., Discover New England, Down East Magazine, FlyBangor, GetEtched, Maine & Co., Maine Office of Tourism, Maine Tourism Association, Maine Department of Transportation, Penobscot Bay & River Pilot’s Association, and the Washington County Commissioner’s Office works to promote these communities to the travel trade, travel media and cruise industry as attractive cruise destinations. We also provide the relative community and business support necessary for these areas to become and remain viable, productive cruise destinations while promoting cultural preservation and responsible tourism.