The cruise industry on the west coast is at about twice the volume it was only five short years ago with some 75,000 people dropping in on the Corner Brook area last season.

Some people do not believe that cruise passengers spend a lot of money during ports of call as many essentials, such as food, may already be available on the boat at no extra cost.

Corner Brook Mayor Jim Parsons says data compiled through the port shows that cruise ship visitors do spend money on many things including tours.

He says Corner Brook, as a city, sets up a vendors’ market downtown. “We ran a festival on a day when we had about 8,000 passengers here on two ships, and besides that, we know our story is going out to the world,” says Mayor Parsons.