When the DL&W railroad station was built in 1917 at the foot of Main Street, it brought passenger boats with travelers that bustled into the Queen City.
More than 100 years later, tourism officials are hoping that will happen again, as the Erie County Harbor Development Corp. considers the DL&W site or one on the Michigan Pier for a new boat terminal catering to pleasure cruises on the Great Lakes.
Cruising is a big business on the Great Lakes, and brings sought-after tourism dollars to port regions, tourism officials said.
“Cruising has become a really important cornerstone of our regional tourist economy,” said David Lorenz, chair of tourism agencies Great Lakes USA and Cruise the Great Lakes.
It’s something local visitor bureaus are enthusiastic about bringing to Buffalo, to add to its roster of business, leisure and sports travel.
“I am a big fan of what they bring regionally to market and especially international visitors,” said Patrick Kaler, CEO of tourism bureau Visit Buffalo Niagara.
The demand is there, and increasing, according to tourism professionals.
Last year was a record-breaking season for cruise tourism on the Great Lakes.
There were nearly 150,000 visits to Great Lakes ports, an increase of more than 25% over the previous season, according to tourism bureau Cruise the Great Lakes. It expects another record season this year, with an estimated 170,000 port visits.
Two additional cruise ships are also scheduled to come online this season, bringing the total number of cruise ships traveling the Great Lakes to 11.
But will cruise ships want to stop in Buffalo? Cruise the Great Lakes, a consortium of cruise companies and city tourism bureaus, says yes.
“We don’t want every ship to go to every single place when they’re offering the same experience. So with more ships coming in, they’re going to be looking for more ports of call,” said David Lorenz, chair of Cruise the Great Lakes.
For that to happen, though, Buffalo would need a…
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