The final cruise ship of the season departed Vancouver on Tuesday morning, marking the conclusion of a record-breaking year for the city’s bustling port. The Norwegian Encore, carrying approximately 4,000 passengers, set sail for Los Angeles, signalling the end of a busy period that saw a significant boost in maritime tourism.
According to the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (VFPA), the 2026 season saw a 20 per cent increase in cruise ship traffic compared to the previous year. With 358 cruise calls recorded, the port welcomed more than 1.4 million passengers throughout the season.
For the local economy, the arrival and departure of these vessels are vital. Chance McKee, a senior trade development representative with the VFPA, emphasized that the industry delivers an estimated $1 billion in economic impact to Vancouver each season.
“The economic impact of Vancouver’s cruise sector can’t be understated,” McKee said. He noted that, on average, each cruise passenger passing through the city spends roughly $1,100 on local amenities, including hotel accommodations, restaurants, shopping, and tourist attractions.
The influx of global travellers is a primary driver for businesses located near the cruise terminal. Akari Minamihama, the store manager at Snowggle Gifts, says she relies on the cruise schedule to plan her daily operations.
“Every time, I check how many cruises are coming and how many passengers are expected,” Minamihama said. “When there are cruise ships, we have so many customers from around the world.”
Experts suggest that the city must continue to foster growth in the tourism sector to maximize these benefits. Jarrett Vaughan, an adjunct professor at the UBC Sauder School of Business, highlighted the importance of supporting infrastructure development, such as new hotels and expanded convention facilities, to maintain this momentum.
“It is really critical that Vancouverites recognize how important the cruise industry is to our economy,” Vaughan noted. “We want to support restaurant and bar openings. This is how we generate a lot of tax revenue and employment in this province.”
The VFPA and the tourism agency Destination Vancouver have been working to position the city not just as a transit point for cruise ships, but as a premier destination in its own right.
As the Norwegian Encore pulled away from the dock, many passengers expressed excitement for the journey ahead. For the thousands of travelers who made their way through the terminal on Monday, the focus was on leisure and adventure.
“You are as old as you behave,” one passenger told reporters before boarding. “We are just going to let our hair down and have a really good time.”
With the final ship gone, the port will now enter its off-season, leaving local businesses to reflect on a record-shattering year of tourism.
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