PHILADELPHIA ESTABLISHES ITSELF AS A MAJOR PLAYER
IN THE CRUISE INDUSTRY
17 Cruises And Nine Port Calls Make 2003 An Active Cruise Season In The City

PHILADELPHIA, July 1, 2003 — With 17 cruises and nine port calls scheduled to take place in Philadelphia this year, 2003 marks the first year that the city is a major player in the cruising industry. More than $15 million in upgrades have been made to the Port in the last five years, and with major cruise lines such as Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seven Seas Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Seabourn, Silversea and Clipper Cruise Line and Hapag Lloyd all sailing or making port calls in 2003 and 2004, the region is primed for a major boost in economic development.

Branded CruisePhilly, the effort is the work of an innovative partnership forged between the Port of Philadelphia and Camden (PPC), a department of the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA), and the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC). The organizations have teamed up to leverage their expertise in an effort to secure home-ported vessels. With more than 49,000 people expected to pass through the cruise terminal this year, PPC anticipates approximately $8.4 million in business revenue and $4.4 million in employment income.

“This year’s frequent cruise activity from Philadelphia to popular destinations such as Bermuda, New England, Canada and the Caribbean is the first sign that the major investment in capital improvements is finally paying off for the region,” says Melissa Grimm, PPC director.

CruisePhilly notes the Port, located in the South Philadelphia neighborhood made famous by Rocky, is just minutes from two new sports stadiums being erected in the city, only 10 minutes from the airport and 10 minutes from the historic district, which includes the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and the National Constitution Center. Also near the Port is a unique waterfront. The Philadelphia side features attractions such as Penn’s Landing, the Independence Seaport Museum, Admiral Dewey’s Olympia and the Becuna while the Battleship New Jersey, the New Jersey State Aquarium and the Camden Children’s Garden line the Camden side.

"Philadelphia has tremendous appeal for our guests," says Bill Leiber, Silversea's senior vice president of sales & marketing, whose ships make regular port-call stops in Philadelphia. "The city's great energy, strong cultural institutions and impressive and vibrant downtown make it an ideal port call for Silversea. Our guests can visit the city's many historical sites or opt to dine in one of Philadelphia's many five-star restaurants."

Philadelphia’s central location is also attractive to cruise line executives. More than 63 million people – a quarter of the U.S. population – live within a 5.5-hour drive from Philadelphia. Baltimore is 75 miles away; New York, 90 miles; Washington, D.C., 120 miles; and Boston,
350 miles. Those numbers seem to impress cruise executives.

So encouraged by a strong customer response to a previous cruise that sailed from Philadelphia, Carnival Cruise Lines, the biggest cruise line in the world, has committed to two cruises this season with the hope of adding more sailings in the future. "In addition to providing a convenient, centralized departure point, Philadelphia is a great sightseeing destination and many of our guests take advantage of pre- and post-cruise land stays to explore this historic city," says Vicki Freed, Carnival's senior vice president of sales and marketing.

The cruise terminal, set at the south end of famous Broad Street, within the Philadelphia Naval Business Center, served as a Naval machine shop when it was built in the mid-1870s. The Business Center, actually the Philadelphia Navy Yard, dates back to 1801. Now the venerable red brick Port is taking on a 21st-century look. Nearly $15 million in capital improvements have already been made to allow two ships to be in port simultaneously and new facility projects are expected to enhance security and overall visitor experience.

Close to 20 cruises are already booked for 2004. For more information about CruisePhilly, visit www.cruisephilly.com.

GPTMC is a non-profit organization dedicated to generating awareness of and visitation to Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties. For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit gophila.com or call the new Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676. For information about arts and cultural attractions in the region, visit the Philadelphia CultureFiles at gophila.com.

Note to Editors: For story angles and photographic images of Philadelphia and its surrounding countryside, visit gophila.com/pressroom.  

July 2003

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