cruise ships

Speakers at the Tampa Tiger Bay Club pushed back on the idea that the land the port occupies would be better suited for residential and commercial development.

Cargo traffic at Florida’s 16 seaports is slightly ahead of pre-pandemic numbers, while the cruise industry is expected to return to pre-pandemic passenger counts this year.

Cruise ship delays are expected to increase as the space industry hopes to double and triple the number of launches from the cape.

The U.S. Travel Association estimated that international travel to the U.S. was 34 percent below pre-pandemic levels.

In December, the port will see 29 cruise ships, with each averaging about $350,000 in economic impact. Over the course of the year, the port estimates it will have served 1.2 million cruise passengers.

Florida’s pristine waters are its calling card for tourists, who are now returning to the state in record numbers. But what happens when crushing numbers of visitors harm the natural environment that draws them?

Port Tampa Bay, PortMiami, Port Everglades, Port Canaveral, and Port of Jacksonville collectively recorded 6.1 million cruise passengers in 2021.

The cruise company would not confirm how many people tested positive for COVID but said there were a number of positive cases on the Carnival Spirit.

It will leave it up to vacationers to decide whether they feel safe getting on a ship.

The AAA study says declining COVID rates and increased eagerness about traveling have contributed to these statistics.

The city of Key West has another possible plan to limit cruise ship traffic to its port. Voters approved limits in 2020, but they were overturned last year by the state Legislature.

A motion for dismissal filed at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals did not explain the decision, but the CDC let expire what is known as a “conditional sailing order” that placed COVID restrictions.