Cruise and Ferry Review - Summer/Spring 2020

2 5 3 The Port of Vancouver handled more than a million passengers in 2019 NORTH AMERICA: INTERV IEW Meeting demand Peter Xotta of Vancouver Fraser Port Authority explains how the port authority plans to expand with sustainability in mind T he Port of Vancouver is growing. Over the course of 2019, more than one million passengers visited the Canadian city on 41 different ships, a 22% increase from 2018. It’s a trend that Peter Xotta, vice president of planning and operations at Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, expects to continue. “We’re anticipating continued growth both in Alaska and Vancouver’s role in the cruise industry, and in 2020 we expect to see an increase of approximately 10% on top of the 22% we saw last year,” he says. “We’re very pleased with the response in the marketplace, and the port continues to be recognised as one of the best destinations in cruising.” The recent growth has been a positive development for the port, according to Xotta. “The economic impact of cruising has certainly manifested itself here,” he comments. However, the port authority remains aware that the additional demand needs to be met with development. “We’re looking at the opportunity to deliver an additional cruise berth for the future. We’ve already identified several locations and are busy pursuing concepts preliminary technical analysis.” With a record of significant investment in sustainability, the port authority is looking to ensure that any future expansion fits within this vision. “Our goal is to make sure that as we embrace this growth, we do so in a way that respects the concerns of residents,” says Xotta. “We’ve had over 500 successful cruise ship shore power connections since 2009, and we’ll continue to push as an active leader in our industry to respect the pristine environment we have here. That’s what people are here to see, and we want to preserve it.” CFR “We’ll continue to push as an active leader in our industry” Photo: Williamjans.com