The 2025 cruise season at Canada Place has wrapped up with more than 300 ship visits and 1.2 million passengers, delivering a billion-dollar boost to Vancouver’s economy amid rising costs and U.S. tariffs.The season, which began March 5 with the Disney Wonder and ends October 21 with the Coral Princess, included 301 cruise ship calls and welcomed eight vessels making their inaugural visit. Each ship visit injected an average of nearly $3 million into local businesses, while cruise lines spent up to $660 million on goods and services and passengers spent an average of $450 each on hotels, restaurants, tours, shopping, and attractions.“This year’s success underscores the cruise sector’s power as an economic engine,” said Shri Madiwal, Vice President of Operations and Supply Chain at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. He praised the cooperation of partners including SSA Marine, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Destination Vancouver, and federal and municipal agencies in supporting smooth operations..Cruise Lines International Association also applauded Vancouver as one of North America’s premier homeports, reflecting growing global demand for cruise vacations. Preliminary bookings for 2026 suggest even more ship calls and passenger visits.The 2025 season was marked by sustainability milestones. More than 80% of cruise calls used shore power, reducing emissions by over 50,000 tonnes of CO2, and cruise lines participated in the ECHO Program’s voluntary slowdowns to protect at-risk whales at an 85% rate. Vancouver also hosted its first LNG refueling for a cruise ship, supporting the sector’s transition to cleaner fuels..Canada Place was named North America’s Leading Cruise Port in 2025 and nominated for World’s Leading Cruise Port by the World Travel Awards. Passenger experience was enhanced by facial biometric scanning, which cut U.S. border processing times by up to 94%.The cruise sector continues to support local employment and tourism, generating significant revenue for hotels, restaurants, transportation, and attractions, and contributing to Vancouver’s position as a key gateway to Alaska and international markets.
