Just hours after Visit Baton Rouge announced today that Mississippi riverboat cruise dockings here will rise by 47% to a record high this year, European river cruise giant Viking said it will make its first North American home port in New Orleans, with Mississippi River cruises expected to start in 2017.
The move means hundreds of jobs and a boost to the city’s tourism industry, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said at a news conference with Viking River Cruises officials this afternoon.
As The Associated Press reports, the company, which runs tours in Europe and Asia and has expanded rapidly in the past few years, plans to build six boats over three years—each capable of carrying up to 300 passengers for the new American cruises.
In New Orleans, the boats will dock near the French Quarter. Cruises will head north to Memphis, St. Louis and St. Paul, Minnesota, depending on the season.
“New Orleans is on a roll, and this investment is yet another example of the continued growth across industries in our city,” New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu says in a news release.
River cruising in general has exploded in popularity in recent years, offering a more traditional way to experience cruising than the mass-market megaships that carry thousands of people and are loaded with attractions such as rides and Broadway shows. Some travelers say river ships are a welcome throwback to an earlier era of cruising.
As first reported by Daily Report, the first of 84 scheduled riverboat cruises for 2015 will dock at Baton Rouge on Thursday.
Louisiana Economic Development estimates Viking’s new service will result in the creation of 416 new direct jobs for Louisiana-based operations and vessel crews. LED has more details on the Viking announcement.
