TAMPA, Fla. -- Port Tampa Bay marked one million cruise ship passengers in one year for the first time in its history.
The port said on Sept. 17, it tipped over the million cruise passenger mark when 1,000,524 passengers came through. And this weekend, thousands more came through the port as three more cruise ships arrived.
Business Research & Economic Advisors estimate that a 3,000-passenger cruise ship generates about $403,000 in spending per call in a home port city.
"This is a fantastic moment for Port Tampa Bay and our cruise line partners," Port Tampa Bay President and CEO Paul Anderson said in a release. "This milestone shows that Tampa is truly a world-class destination for cruise passengers."
Earlier this year, Port Tampa Bay also saw two all-time record cruise passenger weekends with the highest traffic weekend being March 31-April 1. The port said Carnival Cruise Line also added 20 more cruises from Tampa to Cuba.
The port is served by four cruise line partners: Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Holland America Line and Norwegian Cruise Line.
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