Cindy Larson, President of the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce, discusses Great Lakes cruising’s growing popularity and potential for the future:
“Well, the reservations are starting to come in now and we are planning for the summer season. Well, actually it will start in May, and it will go all the way through September. So, I'm sure we're going to have at least 15 ships next year. And we'll know a lot more in January and February when they finalize those reservations. And they do have to make reservations. We can take two ships at once, but it is a little tricky. So, they do make reservations well in advance to make sure that we have the time and the space for them.”
I asked Cindy Larson, President of the Muskegon lakeshore Chamber of Commerce, what untapped opportunities she sees moving forward?
“We really look forward to attracting that new ship, the larger ship. There are ships that have just started to come into the Great Lakes that are about 600 feet long and not many places can handle a ship like that, but Muskegon can. So, we think that's an opportunity in the future. We see that'll be an even bigger economic impact just by the sheer number of passengers that will be visiting. But once that happens, it'll probably tap out. Then we'll hope to get 30 to 50 ships a year. That would be our goal. That would be a comfortable number that we can handle during tourism season without causing any traffic jams or crowded restaurants. So that's what we're shooting for.”
Cindy Larson, President, Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce. Thank you so much.
