Montréal Cruises plans exciting welcome for Holland-America Line's 500,000th passenger

10/08/2019 07:00

MONTRÉAL, Aug. 10, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - Montréal Cruises and its partners will be celebrating the arrival of Holland-America Line's 500,000th passenger this Saturday at the Port of Montréal's Grand Quay. The cruise line's MS Veendam ship first visited Montréal in 1996. The company performed 196 embarkations and disembarkations in Montréal from 1996 to 2018, for a total of 480,750 passengers. This season, Holland-America Line is adding 14 stops in Montréal.

When the Zaandam arrives on August 10th, it will be carrying Holland-America Line's 500,000th passenger. To mark the occasion, Montréal Cruises is inviting the public to gather on the Grand Quay, where a number of family activities are planned starting at 11 a.m. At the same time, visitors will be able to find information about the international cruises departing from Montréal and Québec City. The Association des Croisières du Saint-Laurent will offer three presentations inside the terminal at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

"Holland-America Line has been coming to Montréal for 23 years. I would like to thank the company for its loyalty and the valuable advice it provided concerning the design of our new cruise terminal. Today, the Grand Quay is one of Montréal's must-see sites and we are very pleased to be celebrating Holland-America Line's 500,000th passenger here," said Sylvie Vachon, President and CEO of the Montréal Port Authority.

"On behalf of Montréal's entire tourism industry, we are truly delighted to welcome Holland-America Line's ships, whose repeated visits contribute substantially to the local economy. We are also pleased to have international-calibre port facilities to offer a top quality welcome to cruise passengers and crew members," said Yves Lalumière, President and CEO of Tourisme Montréal.

About Montréal Cruises
Montréal Cruises works closely with the Montréal Port Authority and Tourisme Montréal, in addition to five other associations and organizations: Aéroports de Montréal, the Old Port of Montréal Corporation, the Old Montréal Business Development Corporation, the Hotel Association of Greater Montréal and the City of Montréal. For more information about cruises in Montréal, go to: http://cruises.alamontreal.com/.

About the Port of Montréal
Operated by the Montreal Port Authority (MPA), the Port of Montreal is the second largest port in Canada and a diversified transshipment centre that handles all types of goods: containerized and non-containerized cargo, liquid bulk and dry bulk. It is the only container port in Québec and is served by the world's largest container shipping lines. The only container port in Quebec, it is a destination port served by the largest shipping lines in the world. It is also an intermodal hub with a service offering that is unique in North America, featuring its own rail network directly dockside connected to Canada's two national rail networks. The MPA also operates a Cruise Terminal and a Port Centre.

The MPA factors economic, social and environmental components into its corporate initiatives. This commitment is governed by a sustainable development policy whose guiding principles focus on involvement, cooperation and accountability. Port activity supports 19,000 jobs and generates $2.6 billion in economic benefits annually.

About Tourisme Montréal
Established in 1919, Tourisme Montréal is a private, non-profit organization that works to position Montréal as an international-calibre leisure and business travel destination. The organization leads innovative tourist welcome strategies with a twofold objective: ensuring that visitors enjoy a quality experience and maximizing the economic benefits of tourism. Uniting more than 900 organizations and businesses that work directly or indirectly in the tourism industry, Tourisme Montréal plays a leading role in the management and development of Montréal's tourism business, and makes recommendations on issues surrounding the city's economic, urban and cultural development. This year, Tourisme Montréal is celebrating its 100th anniversary. For more information, go to www.mtl.org.