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V O L . X X I I I N O. X I I M AY 2 9 , 2 0 1 7 12 A dam Babbitt opened the Bar Harbor Pick- A-Pearl Co. in May, just after the start of this year's cruise season. e wedding planner and offi ciator, and former Disney Cruise Line employee, sells "jewelry with a memory" in a small shop right on the water where customers can fi sh oysters from a tank containing pearls of varying colors that can be set into pendants within minutes. Like other local merchants, Babbitt stands to gain from more ships arriving this year and a longer season, not just in Bar Harbor, but Maine as a whole. "We get a lot of business from the cruise ships, but it could always be better," he says. e cruise ship industry is reaching cruising speed in Maine, with 410 ship visits expected this year, compared to 361 in 2016 and 271 a decade ago. Some 39 ships from 21 cruise brands are projected for 2017, including newcomers Disney and TUI Cruises, a joint venture between German tourism company TUI AG and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. e season will also run an extra 10 days, from April 23 with the German-operated Amadea in Bar Harbor through Nov. 2 when the Bahamas-registered Seven Seas Mariner is due in Portland. While itineraries and timetables can change because of weather or other factors, Maine continues to grow in prominence as a cruise destination. "If you look at Maine as a whole we're doing really well from a global perspective," says Amy Powers, director of the CruiseMaineUSA promotional agency. As the industry keeps adding new ships and capacity worldwide, "one of the things we would like to do is to try to capture as much of that capacity as possible." ose eff orts include promotion of the region through the Cruise Canada New England Alliance, due to release a new strategic plan this June. " e whole Canada/New England area is really thriving," says Bob Leeman, Cruise Portland's marketing manager. "It's not one port that's making a diff erence, it's the whole group of us." Rising demand Bar Harbor is Maine's busiest cruise port with 163 ship visits due in 2017, up from 105 in 2016, followed by Portland with 90 and then Camden and Boothbay Harbor with 31 apiece. All will see an increase this year as the industry as a whole rides a wave of new investment and growth. In total, 25.3 million people are expected to take to the seas this year for a global economic impact of $117 billion, according to the latest foreast from Cruise Lines International Association, a Washington, D.C.- based trade group. e report also found that 26 new ships were on order as of December 2016, including $6.8 billion worth of ocean vessels, and that eight out of 10 CLIA-certifi ed travel agents are expecting higher sales this year. Demand for cruising jumped 62% from 2005-2015, and is seen staying strong among growing interest from non-cruisers. Sarah Kennedy, CLIA's public relations director, says that while "people still love the Caribbean, what's new in the past two years is that North America is also becoming a key destination for travelers." She adds that although the region has always lured Europeans, Americans like ports they can easily drive to, avoiding airport security hassles, though many need to be reminded about places close to home. " ere are so many options that people just forget," she says. Bar Harbor at a crossroads Bar Harbor, perhaps best known for Acadia National Park, lures lots of fi rst-time visitors to Maine, says Todd Gabe, a University of Southern Maine economics professor who co-authored an economic impact study published in February. Cruise passengers tend to come from outside Maine's traditional tourism sources: Out of 1,896 domestic passengers surveyed, Florida accounted for 9.7% and California 9.5% of the cruise-ship visitors in Bar Harbor. Adam Babbitt of Bar Harbor Pick-A-Pearl Co. lets customers select oysters out of a tank containing pearls of varying colors. P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R Cruising into Maine More passenger ships expected in 2017 as season gets longer on both ends B y R e n e e C o r d e s " " " Align Your Technology with Your Business " Colors Pantone 2747 Pantone 1807 IT Solutions Designed for Your Business Finding the right IT partner is one of the most important decisions your company can make. At WGTECH, making information technology work for your business is our core competency. We develop individualized solutions that help you grow your business, improve operations, and boost efficiency. We're Northern New England's resource for advanced technology – we'd like to partner with you. www.WGTECH.com 207.856.5300

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