The Port of Galveston, Texas, anticipated handling 419 cruise ships in 2025, marking a significant shift from its nearly bankrupt state in the 1990s. This economic turnaround is attributed primarily to the increasing popularity of cruises post-COVID-19 pandemic. Major investments have been made in infrastructure, including a $156 million terminal set to open for Norwegian and MSC in November. CEO Rodger Rees highlighted the port's past struggles and the vital need for diversification from cargo to cruise tourism to secure financial stability and revitalization.
"There was a time we didn't have enough money to make payroll," the CEO, Rodger Rees, told Business Insider. "Luckily, the money came in, but they were that tight at times."
"The port really didn't have anything going on 25, 30 years ago," Rees said. "It was like a ghost town out there."
"I've been selling Galveston to MSC for five years at least," Rees said. "Becoming a cruise port turned this port around."
The port expects to accommodate 419 cruises in 2025, a more than 25% increase from three years prior - making it the fourth busiest cruise port in America.
#port-of-galveston #cruise-industry #economic-turnaround #infrastructure-development #covid-19-impact
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