Community Futures of the Pacific Northwest announced today the hiring of a new Tourism Capacity Coordinator to help improve the cruise passenger experience and attract new cruise lines to Prince Rupert.
Andrew Maillot - who has previously managed a heli-skiing company in Alaska, river rafting operations in central British Columbia and general management with destination marketing - has taken a one-year contract for the position.The focus of the coordinator position will be on developing new products and services for the cruise industry, in conjunction with the Prince Rupert Port Authority and the Cruise Task Force.
"We will be working with existing businesses while incubating new tourism businesses that can both succeed in the Prince Rupert tourism market and provide a quality and content rich environment for cruise ship passengers," said Maillot.
"We are looking to expand tourism development opportunities along Highway 16 and target rubber-tire traffic markets. We also have an opportunity to work with our First Nations neighbours to boil on present markets, such as BC Ferries routes, and on our reputation for angling and world class halibut fishing."
Norwegian Cruise Lines announced last year that it would not be calling on Prince Rupert in 2012, which followed an announcement by Royal Caribbean they would be ceasing regular weekly visits. Since then the Prince Rupert Port Authority has been working on attracting new cruise lines, and thus far two lines have confirmed plans to call on Prince Rupert a few times in 2013.