VICTORIA -- Regimented rows of taxi cabs, tour buses, limousines and pedicabs welcomed a record 14,790 cruise ship passengers and crew arriving in Victoria yesterday. Almost 12,000 eager tourists disembarked, touring, dining and filling Government Street shops and cafés.
"I look out my window and I can see 1,000 people walking along Government Street right now," Phil Lavoie said at the height of yesterday's lunch rush. Mr. Lavoie, manager of Victoria landmark Sam's Deli, said the cafeteria-style eatery is "directly connected" to the cruise ship industry, enjoying an average lunchtime spike of 100 additional customers with each ship that arrives. Mr. Lavoie said yesterday was one of the busiest ever for the deli a block from the Empress Hotel.
It was the busiest day ever for cruise ships in Victoria, said Lorne Whyte, president and CEO of Tourism Victoria. Three ships - Serenade Of The Seas, passenger capacity 2,500; Diamond Princess, 2,600; Zuiderdam, 1,840 - began arriving at 7 a.m., filling the three berths at Ogden Point. Oosterdam, passenger capacity 1,840, and Golden Princess, 2,600, queued in the Juan de Fuca Strait, waiting for the Serenade Of The Seas and Diamond Princess to depart.
During the summer, three cruise ships usually visit Victoria each Saturday night, said Paul Servos, general manager of the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority. "It is a real challenge having three ships visit all day and then have two leave and two more come in during the evening."
Chandlery, servicing and waste disposal is handled by firms such as King Bros. Ltd. and Westcan Terminals Ltd. Neither firm was available for comment, both having pressed all their staff into service at the terminal. Mr. Servos said it is a routine he could get used to: "Look at all the activity downtown. We had a million-dollar day."
"I hope to make between $600 and $800 in fares on a day like this," said 31-year-old pedicab driver Brent Gleason, waiting for a customer outside the passenger terminal. "I study the cruise ship schedule and plan my shifts so I am working when the big ships arrive."
Mr. Gleason leases a tandem pedicab through Victoria's Kabuki Kabs. Owner Randal Phipps said he had 20 pedicabs working the Inner Harbour and Ogden Point precinct yesterday. Drivers are "independent contractors" said Mr. Phipps, with each driver leasing a pedicab for about $40 for a seven-hour shift.
According to Mr. Phipps, Kabuki Kabs - like taxi and bus operators - pays the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority an annual terminal access fee of $150 a vehicle. He considers the cruise ships enormous "floating hotels" and runs three shifts of pedicabs, from 7 a.m. to 3 a.m.
Darryl Anderson, business development manager at the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, said 163 cruise ships will stop at the Ogden Point Terminal during the 2007 season with Holland America, Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International carrying 324,000 travellers.
Of these, an estimated 80 per cent will come ashore. He said disembarkation and therefore per-ship spending averages in the local economy are high in Victoria because of the deepwater harbour and the closeness to downtown. This allows ships to pull right along the pier and release passengers to board shuttle and tour services to downtown and all points beyond. At other ports, such as Nanaimo, a smaller boat is required to ferry passengers ashore.
Based on 2006 economic statistics and trends, Mr. Anderson said that passengers will have spent approximately $1-million during the 17 hours the ships docked in Victoria yesterday. Mr. Servos said that while most foot and shuttle traffic is headed downtown, 30 per cent of cruise ship visitors are going north along the Saanich Peninsula to the Butchart Gardens.
"Ninety-nine-point-nine per cent of passengers want to go to Butchart Gardens," said Dumitru Constantinescu, owner and operator of Vancouver Island Passenger Tours. Waiting for clients alongside his 14-passenger Ford van on the sunny-but-breezy afternoon, Mr. Constantinescu said that unlike Victoria retailers and restaurateurs, tour operators require nice weather to make money. "On a sunny, warm day I can do five or six hours worth of tours," said Mr. Constantinescu, who had at that point billed for one hour. With one ship on a much warmer, calmer day earlier, he said he booked six tour hours.
Mr. Whyte said the cruise ships offer immediate and residual value. Tracking done by Tourism Victoria indicates cruise ship passengers, having got a first taste of Victoria, will often plan an extended stay later on. "It is a great introduction to Victoria."
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