Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - All Patrick Kaler from Visit Buffalo has to do to sell people on why it is so important to the region's tourism industry - and local economy - to have Buffalo as an active Great Lakes cruise ship port is just look at the other end of Lake Erie.
Cleveland welcomed more than 8,000 Great Lakes cruise ship passengers this year and they left behind an economic impact that was well north of $6 million.
"This is a great regional opportunity," said Kaler, Visit Buffalo president and CEO.
Buffalo will welcome its first Great Lakes cruise ship on May 27 when a 250-passenger American Cruise Lines ship pulls into the Erie Basin Marina for an eight-hour stopover.
The ship's arrival will be a seminal moment for the region's tourism industry and end a long quest to have Buffalo become a permanent Great Lakes cruise ship port.
In the tourism equivalent of a shakedown cruise, Buffalo will host four Great Lakes ships during the summer of 2026.
The following year, 2027, should be considerably more active with six cruise lines including Buffalo as one of its stop over ports. Some will be eight hour day trips, others will be overnight stays.
"Our goal is to give the passengers a great Buffalo experience," Kaler said.
By 2027, the passenger-friendly Great Lakes port along Buffalo's Outer Harbor will be developed and ready to go.
Don't under estimate the economic impact from the Great Lakes cruise lines.
The Great Lakes Cruise Marketing Group said passengers left behind a $230 million economic impact in such cities as Duluth, Detroit and Cleveland. That number increased by 15% this year and is expected to rise again in 2026 and 2027.
Kaler said the other pay off comes from passengers making return visits to many of the cities where the ships stop.
"It whets their appetite and many do come back," Kaler said.