Luggage is boarded onto the Victory I as it prepares to depart with 190 new passengers, ready to explore the Great Lakes.
As Victory Cruise Lines’ inaugural season nears completion, it’s full speed ahead into the next one — and it comes after a summer of success.
“The cruise industry now on The Great Lakes has grown to a $250 million-a-year business,” said Victory Cruise Lines Founder and CEO John Waggoner.
“You’ve got five boats that are on the Great Lakes, with two other boats making stops. It’s growing about 20 per cent a year; it really is an untapped market.”
Waggoner assured that Toronto will see a lot of Victory Cruise Lines next year, with 29 visits to the city planned and an intent to expand into the Eastern seaboard.
“Toronto is a turnaround port, so that means people come here to either start their trip or they end their trip here,” said Destination Toronto vice-president of Destination Development, Kelly Jackson.
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She said those travellers typically spend more time in the destination where they either start or end their trip.
According to Ports Toronto president and CEO RJ Steenstra, 21,000 “fairly high-end” tourists come to the city to enjoy these cruises.
“They spend money in the city either pre-cruise or post-cruise, which means they’re visiting our hotels, spending time in our restaurants,” Steenstra said. “They’re visiting our attractions and they’re really taking in the city and helping us get the brand out even further.”
While not many know about the burgeoning Great Lakes cruise industry, Waggoner said there’s been a tremendous amount of demand by Americans who wish to explore their backyard.
This upcoming season, Victory Cruise Lines marketing is planned to expand toward Canadians.
“It feels like people don’t know that we have this very interesting and growing cruise ship business right here in the heart of Toronto, at the Port of Toronto,” said Steenstra.
“We like to see this as part of our contribution to what makes this city great, what makes this city global and what makes this city worth visiting.”
Size constraints limit what ships can make their way to the port, so Victory ships were specially-built for the Great Lakes and passage through the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Jackson believes the cruise ship industry is poised to be a growing layer of Toronto’s visitor economy.
Cruise season is typically between May and October of every year, with 2025 expected to see 48 cruise ships visit Toronto.
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