Cruise Industry Spending Tops $676 Million, Generates 9,147 Jobs in Georgia in 2007

PRNewswire/ -- The North American cruise industry contributed $676 million in direct spending to the state of Georgia's economy in 2007, a 1.4 percent increase over the previous year according to a recently released study commissioned for Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

This spending, in turn, generated 9,147 jobs paying $437 million in wage income. This represents 3.6 percent of the industry's total U.S. direct expenditures, ranking the state seventh in the nation in terms of cruise industry spending. State business sectors most impacted by the industry's direct spending included: business services and government, $327 million; manufacturing, $177 million; and information services, $63 million.

With no direct cruise operations, Georgia is a major source market for cruise passengers. Resident cruise passengers totaled 337,000, 3.7 percent of U.S. resident passengers. The state also supports the cruise industry with a wide range of goods and services.

"The cruise industry continues to make an impressive contribution to the economic well-being of the country and Georgia plays a significant role as one of the leading beneficiaries of industry spending and job creation," said Terry L. Dale, president and CEO of CLIA.

The Contribution of the North American Cruise Industry to the U.S. Economy in 2007 study was conducted by Business Research & Economic Advisors (BREA) in Exton, Pa., and analyzes the economic benefits to the U.S. economy from five principal sources: spending by cruise passengers and crew; shoreside staffing by cruise lines in U.S. cities; expenditures by cruise lines for goods and services; U.S. port services; and vessel maintenance and repair.

Among other key Georgia findings:
-- Tourism-related businesses such as tour operators, airlines, hotels,
restaurants and providers of ground transportation were the
beneficiaries of 20 percent of the cruise industry spending, receiving
$134 million.
-- Another $166 million was spent with businesses in the following
sectors: food processors, computer and electronic equipment
manufacturers, advertising agencies, insurance companies and
management and technical consultants in the non-manufacturing sector.
-- Direct expenditures in Georgia also impacted such industries as
telecommunications, financial services, software publishers and
textile and apparel manufacturers.


Nationwide, the North American cruise industry continued to have a significant and growing impact on the U.S. economy in 2007, positively affecting every state in the country. Cruise line and passenger spending generated a total of $38 billion in gross economic output, a 6.4 percent increase over 2006, and generated 354,700 American jobs paying $15.4 billion in wages and salaries. Direct spending by cruise lines, their employees and passengers totaled $18.7 billion.

The full economic study and summary can be downloaded from CLIA's Web site, www.cruising.org .

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State’s New Tourism Web Site Finalist for Coveted “Stevie” Award

The State of Georgia’s new tourism Web site, ExploreGeorgia.org, was recently named a finalist in the American Business Awards.

“I’m pleased that our online strategy has been recognized by the American Business Awards,” said Ken Stewart, commissioner for the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “Our team has worked hard to create a customer experience which translates Georgia’s attractions into a terrific visitor experience online.”

Known as the “Stevies,” the American Business Awards are compared to the Oscars in terms of prestige. GDEcD’s interactive agency, Engauge Digital (formerly Spunlogic), submitted the site to the Brand Building/Promotion Web Site category.

ExploreGeorgia.org helps visitors tailor their experience and discover the unexpected in Georgia. The site was recently launched with a number of key features, including:

· Travel planner: An interactive way to find activities, save favorites and plan a trip.
· Faceted Search: A function that narrows results for any search based on selected filtering criteria.
· Experiences: Getaway themes designed to spark travel ideas, such as At the Beach, Romantic Getaway, and Back to Nature.
· Dream Pass Integration: The popular rewards card for Georgia attractions is now integrated with the tourism website.

For more information on the American Business Awards, visit www.stevieawards.com/aba.