Great Lakes Cruises Offer Boost To Toronto’s Waterfront Tourism - Beritaja
By: Albert Michael - Friday, 19 September 2025 17:00:28
Luggage is boarded onto the Victory I arsenic it prepares to depart pinch 190 caller passengers, fresh to research the Great Lakes.
As Victory Cruise Lines’ inaugural play nears completion, it’s afloat velocity up into the adjacent 1 — and it comes aft a summertime of success.
“The cruise manufacture now connected The Great Lakes has grown to a $250 million-a-year business,” said Victory Cruise Lines Founder and CEO John Waggoner.
“You’ve sewage 5 boats that are connected the Great Lakes, pinch 2 different boats making stops. It’s increasing about 20 per cent a year; it really is an untapped market.”
Waggoner assured that Toronto will spot a batch of Victory Cruise Lines adjacent year, pinch 29 visits to the metropolis planned and an intent to grow into the Eastern seaboard.
“Toronto is simply a turnaround port, truthful that intends group travel present to either commencement their travel aliases they extremity their travel here,” said Destination Toronto vice-president of Destination Development, Kelly Jackson.
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She said those travellers typically walk much clip successful the destination wherever they either commencement aliases extremity their trip.
According to Ports Toronto president and CEO RJ Steenstra, 21,000 “fairly high-end” visitors travel to the metropolis to bask these cruises.
“They walk money successful the metropolis either pre-cruise aliases post-cruise, which intends they’re visiting our hotels, spending clip successful our restaurants,” Steenstra said. “They’re visiting our attractions and they’re really taking successful the metropolis and helping america get the marque retired moreover further.”
While not galore cognize about the burgeoning Great Lakes cruise industry, Waggoner said there’s been a tremendous magnitude of request by Americans who wish to research their backyard.
This upcoming season, Victory Cruise Lines trading is planned to grow toward Canadians.
“It feels for illustration group don’t cognize that we person this very absorbing and increasing cruise vessel business correct present successful the bosom of Toronto, astatine the Port of Toronto,” said Steenstra.
“We for illustration to spot this arsenic portion of our publication to what makes this metropolis great, what makes this metropolis world and what makes this metropolis worthy visiting.”
Size constraints limit what ships could make their measurement to the port, truthful Victory ships were specially-built for the Great Lakes and transition done the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Jackson believes the cruise vessel manufacture is poised to beryllium a increasing furniture of Toronto’s visitant economy.
Cruise play is typically betwixt May and October of each year, pinch 2025 expected to spot 48 cruise ships sojourn Toronto.
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