As the community debates the effects cruise ships have on the city’s environment, infrastructure and quality of life, a larger question looms over the discussion: From a pure dollars-and-cents perspective, is it all worth it?
The only study to examine the financial implications of cruises in Charleston paints the industry as a bonanza for the region in sour economic times, contributing some $37 million a year to the local economy. Direct spending by cruise passengers alone is expected to top $5.5 million, the study found.
But that study was paid for by the State Ports Authority, which claims as much as 8 percent of its annual revenue from the cruise industry. That makes some residents and business leaders skeptical of the study’s conclusions, particularly since the analysis did not examine potential negative impacts associated with the ships.
Chief among economic concerns is whether cruise-ship passengers displace other tourists who visit Charleston for its events and historic attractions rather than as a vacation stepping-off point. Stay-over tourists tend to spend more cash on hotel rooms, restaurants and activities. Will they balk at the increased traffic and crowds and go elsewhere?