San Diego Port May Hike Passenger Fees To Raise Funds

[Flip2cruise]

http://www.sdbj.com/article.asp?aID=79003873.6611239.1136967.3722612.446308.039&aID2=87450

 

 

 

Operating on a budget that won’t cover the cost of a new cruise ship terminal — much less some long overdue repairs — the San Diego Unified Port District has come up with a plan to pay for the capital improvements it says are needed to win more cruise business.

 

While the agency mulls responses from developers interested in a public-private venture to build a new $30 million terminal plus a hotel and parking garage, Carnival Corp. has agreed to loan it $8 million for some interim fixes.

 

Terms of the deal with the Florida-based cruise line company are still under discussion, and a repayment plan has yet to be worked out. But port marketing director Rita Vandergaw said the agency is considering increasing its per-passenger fee from $6.10 to $8.10 or $10.10 and using that additional revenue to repay Carnival’s loan. Passenger fees are included in the overall price of a ticket.