Business strong, but cruise terminal for Jacksonville on hold - Nashville Business Journal:

wife-treasuries.blogspot.com
Since the authority pulled back on its pursuirtin March, the infrastructure bond markeft has improved and ships are being filled with passengers despiter cruise opponents’ warning that the recession woulr cripple the industry. But authority board chairman William Masonh said his priority isgetting Ltd’e $208 million terminal online, which is expected to be open at the site of the currengt cruise terminal in 2012. “I don’f think there is any chance we are goin g to lose thecruise industry,” said The authority last week signedf a two-year contract with to keep service of its 2,052-passengere Fascination.
Since October, the cruis ship has been running at nearly 113percenyt capacity, said Tony Orsini, the authority’s seniotr director of cruise He said Carnival has reduced rates for the Jacksonville-based cruised but not by as much as it has cut cruiser packages in other locations. The cruis industry as a whole has fared well inthe recession, but Jacksonville’es cruise industry has the addedd plus of being a heavy drive-to market, meaning passengers don’yt have to buy plane tickets. A third of the country is able to drive to Jacksonville in 24 hourszor less.
Despite being a drive-to Jacksonville International Airport has experienced an increasdin cruise-bound passengers, said Michaeo Stewart, Jacksonville Aviation Authority spokesman. He said aboutg 15 percent of the cruise-goers come through the airport and the majoritgy come inon Saturday, which is a slow day for the business-passenger heavy Jacksonville Port Authority Executive Director Rick Ferrihn said the latest construction of a new cruise terminakl could start is April 2012.
The cruisee lines could be diverteds to a temporary terminaol while a new terminal is built and the existing cruise terminal could be kept open longer by makingy it the last structure to be demolished to make way for theHanjihn facility. Although the authority’s call for design bids was the terminal was expected to includea five-story parking garage and about 25,000 squaree feet of retail space.
The constructiobn would createabout 1,500 jobs and have an annual $500 millioj impact on the area, said Louis Woods, a economics and geographu professor, based on an economic analysis commissioned by the With 40 percent of passengerz staying in Jacksonville before or afte r the cruise, hotels logged abou t 18,000 room-nights annually, Dan general manager of the , said previously. Hotels reported a 6 percen to 7 percent occupancy drop when cruiser service stopped between Apriland mid-September. Each cruise passenger spendes about $300 in the area, said Visit Jacksonville spokeswomanLyndsau Rossman, and the Fascination has a $25 millio n impact on the area per call.