Vancouver sees new record of 1.25 million cruise ship passengers for 2023

Vancouver's Canada Place sees new record of 1.25 million cruise ship passengers for 2023 season

Disney Wonder at the Canada Place cruise ship terminal in downtown Vancouver. (Macklin Holloway/Shutterstock)

The Port of Vancouver’s cruise ship business at the Canada Place cruise ship terminal in downtown Vancouver has broken an all-time historic annual record for passenger volumes.

When Holland America Line’s Koningsdam vessel departs Vancouver tomorrow as the last cruise ship of the 2023 season, Canada Place will have seen a total of 1.25 million passengers for the year.

This not only breaks pre-pandemic records but also represents a 54% increase compared to the 815,000 passengers recorded in 2022, when the cruise ship industry first restarted in Canada. Moreover, 2023 was the first full season without any health safety restrictions.

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There were 332 cruise ship visits over the 2023 season that began in April, representing a 9% increase compared to 2022. Holland America Line was the single largest operator at Canada Place, accounting for 25% of the passenger volumes this year.

As well, 2023 also saw 15 of Canada Place’s 20 busiest days ever for cruise ship passenger volumes.

The previous record was made in 2019, when about 1.1 million passengers were on 288 cruise ship visits.

“Cruise returned to Vancouver emphatically this year after several seasons impacted by the global pandemic with 2023 seeing record passenger numbers, near-record cruise ship visits and the Canada Place terminal getting further international recognition as a world-class cruise facility,” said Peter Xotta, vice president of operations and supply chain at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, in a statement.

Occupancy rates onboard the vessels averaged at 95% throughout the season and peaked at an average of 96% over the summer, returning to pre-pandemic averages of between 93% and 99%.

The port authority anticipates there will be similar passenger volumes for 2024, based on preliminary bookings and a similar number of scheduled cruise ship visits.

The seasonal surge in tourism from the influx of cruise ship passengers provides an enormous economic uplift, especially for businesses in and around downtown Vancouver near the cruise ship terminal, and supports many local jobs.

It was also shared that the usage of shore power connections at Canada Place increased to a record of 75% — up from 70% in 2022 and 50% in 2019. Shore power enables cruise ships to literally plug into the land-based BC Hydro grid and turn off their diesel-powered auxiliary engines, effectively reducing emissions while berthed.

According to the port authority, there has been steady adoption of shore power at Canada Place ever since it was first introduced in 2009, when it was the third cruise ship port in the world to introduce a cleaner energy use option.

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