Economic Impact of Cruise Ship Passengers Visiting Bar Harbor (Maine) in 2016

Gabe, Todd and Gayton, Dominic and Robinson, Patrick and McConnon, James and Larkin, Sean (2017): Economic Impact of Cruise Ship Passengers Visiting Bar Harbor (Maine) in 2016.

Abstract

This study examines the economic impact of cruise ship passengers visiting Bar Harbor in 2016. The economic impact figures account for passenger expenditures on a variety of goods and services (e.g., meals and drinks, souvenirs, books and paper goods, shore excursions) and the multiplier effects associated with the economic activity of businesses (and their workers) where the visitors spend money. The passenger economic impact analysis is based on 2,231 mail surveys that were completed and returned by visitors associated with 31 ship visits over 24 days between May and October. Guests were surveyed from a mix of small (e.g., American Glory, with a capacity of 49 passengers) and large ships (e.g., Regal Princess, with a capacity of 3,560 passengers), as well as passengers across a variety of cruise lines (e.g., Celebrity, Crystal Cruises, Holland America, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Oceania, Silversea Cruises). The survey respondents spent an average of $108—and $74 of this amount does not include expenditures on cruise-line sponsored tours. The largest expenditure items, other than cruise-line sponsored tours, are meals and drinks, clothing items, and general souvenirs. The cruise ship passengers had an estimated annual economic impact—including multiplier effects—of $20.2 million in local spending, 379 jobs (full- and part-time, and seasonal) and $5.4 million in labor income.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Cruise ships, economic impact, tourism, Bar Harbor
• Subjects: L - Industrial Organization > L8 - Industry Studies: Services > L83 - Sports ; Gambling ; Restaurants ; Recreation ; Tourism; R - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics > R1 - General Regional Economics > R11 - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes

References

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Gabe, Todd and Thomas Allen. 2006. “Economic Impact of Cruise Ships in Maine: 2005 Passenger and Crew Expenditures in Bar Harbor and Portland.” Department of Resource Economics and Policy, University of Maine, Staff Paper 558.

Gabe, Todd, Colleen Lynch and James McConnon, 2003. “The Impact of Cruise Ship Passengers in Maine: The Example of Bar Harbor.” Maine Policy Review, Vol. 12, No. 3.

Gabe, Todd, Colleen Lynch and James McConnon, 2006. “Likelihood of Cruise Ship Passenger Return to a Visited Port: The Case of Bar Harbor, Maine.” Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 44, No. 3.

Gabe, Todd, Colleen Lynch, James McConnon and Thomas Allen. 2003. “Economic Impact of Cruise Ship Passengers in Bar Harbor, Maine.” Department of Resource Economics and Policy, University of Maine, Staff Paper 518.

Gabe, Todd and James McConnon, 2009. “Economic Impact of Cruise Ship Passengers in Portland, Maine.” School of Economics, University of Maine, Staff Paper 578.