Alabama's Newest Industry

May 7th, 2004

Contact Gina Gregory
Public Relations Director
251-208-7590/2510377-6501
ginagregory@cityofmobile.org

Alabama's Newest Industry
A Gateway to the Caribbean

What is the state of Alabama's newest industry that is expected to create new jobs, generate new tax revenues and make Alabama a prime tourist destination? Find out beginning Monday, May 10, 2004 as Mobile Mayor Mike Dow begins a statewide blitz to share the good news about Cruising aboard Carnival Cruise Lines "Fun Ship" HOLIDAY.

Mayors from all around the state will join Mayor Dow, Tourism & Travel Council Director Patti Culp, Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel representatives, Mobile Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau President/CEO Leon Maisel, and Carnival Cruise Lines and Mobile attractions representatives to explain how cruising will benefit the state.

Beginning October 16, 2004, Mobile will provide the state of Alabama and the region with a gateway to the Caribbean when the HOLIDAY sets sail from Mobile's new cruise terminal, the Harbor Center, for four and five day cruises with stops in Cozumel, Costa Maya and Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Not only is this welcome news for vacationers who want to board a cruise ship within hours from their home, it's good news for the state's economy. According to a University of South Alabama study, construction expenditures for the new cruise terminal will generate nearly $340,000 in revenue for Mobile; more than $190,000 for Mobile County; and more than $930,000 for the state of Alabama. The study shows that homeporting a cruise ship in Mobile will create or support 391 jobs and increase the city's annual tax revenue by more than $317,000; Mobile County's revenue by $142,187; and more than $673,000 in tax revenue for the state. And that is only the beginning. Conservative estimates show for one homeported ship, the City of Mobile stands to make more than $2-million dollars per year on parking and wharfage fees. Add to that passenger spending, crew expenditures, and ship repair and maintenance and you see how the numbers add up.

Carnival views Mobile as a "drive-to" market. They believe passengers are searching for more convenient, accessible ports, and that's one reason Mobile was attractive to Carnival as a new homeport. Mobile is within eight hours of 35.5 million people living in the southeast United States. That means people from as far away as Charlotte, North Carolina, Memphis Tennessee, and Atlanta, Georgia will be driving through Alabama to board the HOLIDAY. What that means for cities like Florence, Huntsville, Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Montgomery, is an opportunity to attract these tourists for visits before and after their cruise.

The Carnival "Fun Ship" HOLIDAY may only be the beginning for Mobile and for Alabama. Already Mayor Mike Dow and the city's Cruise Task Force are busy recruiting other cruise lines to homeport in Mobile. Dow's goal is for Mobile to be competitive with other Gulf Coast ports. In the next few years he expects Mobile to be the homeport for multiple cruise ships, which will multiply into millions of dollars for Alabama.