kabarsula Vancouver cruise passengers up 18% as season delivers CAD $1 billion boost bandar SLOT INDONESIA

Vancouver’s cruise season has generated more than $1 billion for the local economy, with passenger numbers at the Canadian port rising 18 per cent in 2026.

Almost 1.4 million passenger visits were recorded at the Canada Place cruise terminal between February and October, alongside 358 cruise ship calls, an 18 per cent increase in passengers and a 19 per cent rise in ship visits compared with 2025.

The record season comes as Vancouver marks 40 years as a homeport for Alaska cruises, with the city continuing to attract passengers who extend their trips with stays before or after their sailings.

A survey by the Pacific Rim Cruise Association found 76 per cent of cruise passengers now spend time in Vancouver before or after their cruise, up from 70 per cent in 2023.

Passengers spend an average of $1,144 each on local accommodation, dining, shopping, tours and attractions, while the average stay is 1.4 nights. Visitors from outside North America stay an average of 2.6 nights.

Benefits beyond the waterfront 

Destination Vancouver president and CEO Royce Chwin said cruise tourism was delivering benefits beyond the waterfront.

“Cruise passengers are making Vancouver part of their journey, not simply the place where it begins or ends,” Chwin said.

“With three-quarters spending time in the city before or after their sailing, that activity reaches well beyond the waterfront into our hotels, restaurants, attractions, shops and neighbourhoods.”

Vancouver Fraser Port Authority vice president of operations and supply chain Jeff Scott said cruise activity was supporting jobs and businesses across the region, with an average of $3 million generated for the economy each time a cruise ship calls at Canada Place.

The port is preparing for further growth, with preliminary bookings pointing to another strong cruise season in 2027.

Getting greener 

Norwegian Cruise Line will continue operating seven-day Alaska itineraries from Vancouver next year, with Norwegian Jade scheduled to sail between May and September.

The port authority is also planning to expand shore power capacity at Canada Place, allowing more cruise ships to connect to British Columbia’s hydro-powered electricity grid while berthed.

Work is scheduled to begin in the coming months, with the expansion expected to prevent an additional 3,300 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each cruise season, equivalent to removing about 770 petrol-powered cars from the road annually.

Around 80 per cent of cruise ship calls at Vancouver are already shore-power enabled.

Other upgrades include facial biometric processing technology, introduced in 2024, which has reduced average passenger embarkation times to less than 30 minutes. The technology has also cut the time most passengers spend passing through US border control by up to 94 per cent, to less than 10 seconds.

The terminal was named North America’s Leading Cruise Port at the 2026 World Travel Awards for the second consecutive year and the fifth time overall.

Princess Cruises’ Star Princess also set a new record in September as the largest ship by gross tonnage to call at Canada Place, at 177,882 gross tonnes, surpassing Norwegian Encore, which has a gross tonnage of 169,116.

The 2026 season began on February 26 with the arrival of Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Wonder, while Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Encore was scheduled to make the final call of the season in October.