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October 21, 2008

Study: Cruise ships' benefit to Maine marginal

By The Mainebiz News Staff

A new report from a Florida trade group ranks Maine 41st in the nation for economic benefits from cruise ships, though cruise industry observers in Maine say those numbers are skewed.

The Cruise Lines International Association report claims Maine receives $24 million in related spending from the cruise industry, which supports 381 jobs and $12 million in wages, according to the Portland Press Herald. The economic impact of cruise ships on Maine accounts for 0.1% of the industry's spending nationwide, and the report found the state benefits from cruise ships less than any other Atlantic Ocean state.

But University of Maine economist Todd Gabe, who will publish his own report on Maine's cruise industry in January, says the economic benefit of cruise ships puts Maine well above the $24 million the association claims. Gabe said ships in 2005 brought in $20.4 million to Portland and Bar Harbor alone, the paper reported, and activity last year was up 50% over 2005.

 

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