2022 looking 'pretty positive' for cruise ships, Port of Charlottetown CEO says

Over 75 cruise ships are scheduled to arrive in Charlottetown next year, close to the same amount that arrived at the port in a normal year before the pandemic.

Port of Charlottetown CEO Mike Cochrane says the surge in activity shows that things are starting to look up for an industry that was decimatedby the pandemic.

He said officials have been working for two years bring a safe resumption of cruising to P.E.I.

"In 2019, we had 87 ships, so it's looking pretty positive to have a little more than 75 ships already confirmed for next year," Cochrane said. "It's a restart of an industry, you know, that's been held up for two years."

Cochrane said the cruise industry is alsoprepared for new mandatory vaccination requirements for marine passengers.

"They've already been out ahead of that for the most part already because cruises resumed in a lot of the world since July 2020, and done so successfully," he said.

He said port officials will continue to work hard to ensure federal rules are met as the pandemic situation continues to evolve.

"People can take comfort in that we have our vaccinations and we're doing everything we can as the government putsout different guidelines to ensure a safe resumption of cruising," Cochrane said.

Cochrane said P.E.I.'s tourism industry would greatly benefit from the resumption.

"I'm very optimistic that cruises will return and create the impact that it has in the past, and bring it back to the Charlottetown tourism industry and P.E.I. overall."