Cruise industry in Seattle growing at a fast clip

A new report by a cruise-industry trade group confirms what probably is apparent to anyone who's visited Pike Place Market or the Space Needle during a recent weekend: Cruise ships are a growing business in Seattle.

The report by the Cruise Lines International Association of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., ranks Seattle ninth nationally for cruise-ship embarkations, with 373,000 passengers last year, up 11 percent from 2005.

Cruise lines and their passengers now account for $631 million in direct spending throughout Washington state, according to the report. Counting people employed by the industry and the effect of the industry's spending, the cruise business supported 16,300 Washington jobs totaling $722 million in wages, the trade group said.

But the extent to which other Seattle businesses benefit depends on their proximity to the waterfront and their ability to cater to the unique needs of passengers.

In the world of cruising, Seattle is a departure point rather than a port of call, meaning it tends not to be the main attraction, business owners say.

Also, most cruise lines offer weeklong itineraries departing Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, so passengers who live and work outside the state — and who have limited vacation time — often restrict their Seattle visits to just a day or two.

"The first thing they want to do is get on the boat. And when they get off the boat, they want to go home," said Brian Tracey, who owns the amphibious-tour company Ride the Ducks of Seattle.

Still, Tracey said the company sees a significant number of cruise-ship passengers who set aside a few extra days for Seattle.

Overall in the United States, cruise embarkations increased 4.5 percent to slightly more than 9 million in 2006, and the industry accounted for $18 billion in spending and nearly 154,000 jobs totaling $6 billion in wages.

The cruise-line trade group hired Business Research & Economic Advisors in Exton, Penn., to analyze spending by cruise lines, passengers and crew, as well as the need for shoreside staffing and ship maintenance and repair.

The report says beneficiaries in Washington state included travel agencies, airlines, hotels, restaurants, food processors, advertising firms and ground-transportation providers.

"Seattle has become a great staging point for the Alaska cruise market, and it appeals not just for getting on and off a cruise, but for pre- and post-cruise stays," said Bob Sharak, the association's executive vice president.

Cruising took off locally after the Sept. 11 attacks made Americans fearful about traveling overseas, prompting cruise lines to redeploy ships from Europe to Seattle for Alaska-bound voyages.

Meanwhile, cruise-ship passengers increasingly pick Alaska as a top summer destination, said Rose Abello, a spokeswoman at Seattle-based Holland America Line.

A wholly owned unit of Carnival Corp., Holland America has 13 ships, three of which operate out of Seattle for the summer, plus a sightseeing tour company, Gray Line of Seattle.

Abello said many passengers "stay before or after their cruises to enjoy the surroundings. We have guests who go up to the wineries in Woodinville or take a tour down at Mount Rainier.

"I think Seattle is one of those places that's on people's lists of where they want to go."

Dean Nelson, president and CEO of the Space Needle Corporation, said he thinks Seattle's most visible tourist attraction has experienced a "steady increase" in cruise-ship business for several years, though he doesn't track it.

At Hands of the World, a folk-art and jewelry shop at Pike Place Market, owner Cynthia Hope keeps a schedule of cruise-ship comings and goings tacked to her office wall.

"We have to staff accordingly," she said. "You can tell who the cruise-ship passengers are, because they're here bright and early in the morning before departing in the afternoon."

But Hope said passengers tend to spend small amounts of money in her store, and she worries that the large crowds deter residents who support the market's other merchants.

"If you're on a cruise ship, you're not going to be buying a flat of blueberries or artisan cheeses," she said.

Amy Martinez: 206-464-2923 or amartinez@seattletimes.com