Millennium in Key West today (Feb 4)

[Cruiz'nBaers]

I think the businesses are happy to have cruise ship passengers, it feeds their livelihoods.  

[cluso]

12 minutes ago, Cruiz'nBaers said:

I think the businesses are happy to have cruise ship passengers, it feeds their livelihoods.  

 

Unfortunately, it has also destroyed the real ambiance of old Key West.  Many of the business' are newcomers with a need for the tourist $$$.  Pros and Cons.  

[Swampbabe]

22 minutes ago, Cruiz'nBaers said:

I think the businesses are happy to have cruise ship passengers, it feeds their livelihoods.  

Not as much as you think. The real money is from people that actually stay there. 

[smbt1]

51 minutes ago, Cruiz'nBaers said:

I think the businesses are happy to have cruise ship passengers, it feeds their livelihoods.  

The businesses that are focused on cruise ship passengers, the diamonds international, the flock of trinket and t shirt shops, the number of key lime pie clones that have cropped up in the last 10 years or so and a few of the bars within stumbling distance of the port are certainly happy.

 

The other businesses not so much.

 

According to a 2019 study KW got 50% of its tourists from cruise ships.  But that 50% only generated 20-25% of the tourist spend for KW.  In return for that 20% Key West has had to deal with unique stores getting replaced with cruise port clone businesses, starting to turn KW from the unique attraction it was into a cruise port clone.  The experience when ships are in port is considerably different than when there is no ship present, and not for the better.  The negative impacts were starting to impact the drive and fly in tourist business, that most of the businesses depend on, and were 75-80% of the cities tourist revenue comes from.

Edited February 5, 2022 by smbt1