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Provinces, states agree to Great Lakes cruising plan

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KINGSTON – As city politicians and tourist officials consider the merit of building a deepwater dock here, officials with Ontario, Quebec, U.S. states bordering the Great Lakes and port cities around the lakes agreed to a plan to attract more cruise ships to the region.

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The Great Lakes St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers group launched the Cruise the Great Lakes partnership to boost marketing and promotion.

“Cruising on the Great Lakes is poised for major growth in the coming years, with significant economic benefits for the entire region,” Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said in a statement announcing the launch of the Cruise the Great Lakes partnership on Mackinac Island.

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“In 2018, our waterways saw nearly 100,000 port visits by passengers. This initiative aims to increase those numbers, which in turn increases the amount of economic impact.”

In order to cash in on the growth in the Great Lakes cruise ship market, Kingston has stepped up its related tourism marketing in the past couple of years.

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The city’s stepped-up tourism efforts to attract cruise ships have paid off.

In 2017, 36 cruise ship calls to port were reported. In 2018, Kingston is to receive 46 calls to port, and 49 are proposed for 2019.

“By 2020, there will be a total of five individual oceangoing cruise brands active in the Great Lakes,” a report to city council stated. “These five brands will operate seven different cruise ships and offer a total of 14 different itinerary patterns, nine of which will call for one or more Ontario ports.”

In early July, Kingston city council also directed staff to continue planning for the purchase of the wharf at 1 Queen St. from the federal government and build a deepwater dock that would allow small- and medium-size cruise ships to tie up.

Right now, only smaller ships carrying up to 100 passengers can dock in Kingston at the Crawford Wharf. Larger ships must currently moor in deeper water and shuttle their guests to the shore in smaller vessels.

The city is also willing to spend up to $500,000 from the environment reserve fund to cover the cost of dredging.

elferguson@postmedia.com

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