Cruising boom predicted in the Great Lakes

Cruise lines are looking to the Great Lakes for voyages ahead of what may be a record-breaking season.

Cruising is expected to surpass $200 million in regional economic impact this year. It’s driven by growing domestic and international appeal, officials said at a press conference on Mackinac Island this week.

According to the marketing group Cruise the Great Lakes, ships are expected to make close to 600 port visits to towns and cities this year. They’ll bring more than 20,000 passengers with them.

Tourism Director Anna Tanski said those numbers are nearly double what they were a decade ago.

“To say that this initiative is growing and expanding is probably an understatement,” Tanski said.

Victory Cruise Lines, formerly American Queen Voyages, announced this week it will put two vessels in the water in 2025. The company has not yet released its itineraries.

Meanwhile, cruise lines currently running trips in the Great Lakes include Pearl Seas Cruises, Viking Cruises, St. Lawrence Cruise Lines, Ponant, Hapag-Lloyd and Plantours Cruises.

These lines dock in major metropolitan areas like Detroit, Chicago and Toronto while also making stops in smaller communities like Mackinac Island, Traverse City and Sault Ste. Marie.

Officials touched on how the growth of the industry will affect those smaller fresh coast communities at the Tuesday press conference.

Tanski said while the market increase is significant, it will still be manageable. Due to the size of the St. Lawrence Seaway, Great Lakes cruises average about 150 to 200 people per ship whereas Caribbean Oasis Class ships can hold more than 5,400.

“Will it be an explosion? No. That’s the beauty of it — it will be manageable, and something that we can all celebrate in our beautiful ecosystem that connects all of our five Great Lakes as well as our two Canadian provinces.”

David Naftzger, executive director of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers, said tourists are attracted to the more intimate experience of a Great Lakes cruise.

“You get to know people through the course of a week-long cruise and there are educational programs in many cases,” he said. “Most of the activities, the reason that people are coming to take these cruises are the things that are on the shore.”

Officials also noted much of the incoming tourism will come from the United Kingdom and German-speaking countries due to marketing efforts by the organization Great Lakes USA.

Daniel Thomas oversees Illinois’ Office of Tourism and serves as deputy director for the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

“The entire region is a premier destination for international visitors,” Thomas said. “The unique attributes of our individual communities, including our outdoor recreational spaces and activities, our wilderness, Native American culture, music, breathtaking sceneries, and all the culinary offerings, provide highly sought after experiences for both UK and German travelers.”

More questions from the media centered around sustainability and environmental protection.

“There are very various federal and state laws that the cruise lines are required to adhere to,” said Naftzger. “Beyond that, the St. Lawrence Seaway has been a real leader in terms of implementing some practices that have helped to keep our region safe from invasive [species].”

Most aquatic invasive species found their way into the Great Lakes via the ballast waters of ships traveling through the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Jazmine Jurkiewicz, a trade specialist at the seaway, said ships are required to flush the water before entering the Great Lakes system.