The largest cruise ship to ever visit Victoria docked at Ogden Point Tuesday.
Royal Caribbean International’s Explorer of the Seas unloaded at Ogden Point at 8 a.m., bringing up to 3,114 passengers with it.
The 311-metre-long ship was welcomed by members of Victoria’s tourism industry as crew and passengers disembarked.
Jobs Minister Shirley Bond says the cruise industry is one of the reasons Victoria's economy is so diverse.
"I think often Victoria doesn't toot its own horn enough when it talks about the cruise ship industry and tourism more generally. But when you think about the economic benefits that the cruise industry brings to Victoria, it's approximately $100 million a season," she tells CTV News.
According to Tourism Victoria one of the main benefits of the ship stopping in B.C.'s capital city is that it's here all day, giving customers a full day experience.
"Research studies show that about 70 per cent of cruise passengers who are introduced to a place on a day itinerary want to come back on their own vacation and spend longer so it’s a great way to introduce them to our product," Tourism Victoria's president and CEO Paul Nursey says.
The Explorer of the Seas is referred to as the largest cruise ship on the West Coast.
CEO of the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority, Ian Robertson, suggests this may be the first of many larger ships that will make stops in Victoria.
"The significant difference you would notice or people would notice is that this ship is about 40 feet wider, so almost a third wider than the ships we typically ge into Victoria. Also she's about two or three decks higher," Robertson says.
The Explorer of the Seas is fresh off its first trip to Seattle and is scheduled to make 21 daytime calls in total this year.
It’s also set to call to Nanaimo on May 18 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Ogden Point is Canada’s highest-traffic port-of-call for cruise ships.
