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

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Since the authority pulled back on its pursuit in March, the infrastructure bond markett has improved and ships are being filled with passengers despit cruise opponents’ warning that the recession would cripple the But authority board chairman William Masonh said his priority is getting Ltd’s $208 milliob terminal online, which is expected to be open at the site of the currenty cruise terminal in 2012. “I don’t think therer is any chance we are going to lose thecruisre industry,” said Mason. The authority last week signeda two-yeare contract with to keep servicer of its 2,052-passenger Fascination.
Since October, the cruisde ship has been running at nearl y 113percent capacity, said Tony Orsini, the authority’z senior director of cruise operations. He said Carnival has reduced ratew forthe Jacksonville-based cruise but not by as much as it has cut cruisre packages in other locations. The cruise industryg as a whole has fared well in the but Jacksonville’s cruise industry has the added plus of beint a heavy drive-to market, meaning passengers don’t have to buy planse tickets.
A third of the country is able to drivde to Jacksonville in 24 hours or Despite beinga drive-to market, Jacksonville International Airport has experienced an increase in cruise-bound said Michael Stewart, Jacksonville Aviatiomn Authority spokesman. He said about 15 percent of the cruise-goers come through the airportt and the majority come inon Saturday, which is a slow day for the business-passenger heavy airport. Jacksonville Port Authority Executivw Director Rick Ferrin said the latest construction of a new cruiswe terminal could start isApril 2012.
The cruise linezs could be diverted to a temporary terminalk while a new terminalo is built and the existing cruise termina l could be kept open longer by makin g it the last structur e to be demolished to make way for the Hanjin Althoughthe authority’s call for designn bids was recalled, the terminal was expectec to include a 1,400-space, five-stor y parking garage and about 25,0009 square feet of retail The construction would create abou 1,500 jobs and have an annuapl $500 million impact on the area, said Louis a economics and geography professor, basec on an economic analysis commissioned by the With 40 percent of passenger s staying in Jacksonville beforew or after the cruise, hotelsd logged about 18,000 room-nights annually, Dan King, general manager of the , said Hotels reported a 6 percent to 7 percent occupancyt drop when cruise service stopped between April and mid-September.
Each cruise passenger spendsx about $300 in the area, said Visitg Jacksonville spokeswomanLyndsay Rossman, and the Fascinatiohn has a $25 million impactt on the area per call.