Norfolk, Va. (WTKR) - The cruise season in Norfolk ended Monday with a visit by the cruise ship Aida Vita to the Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center.
The ship visited Norfolk as a stopover visit, one of several to do so this year.
"These ships that stop in town for the day. The guests get off. They have 8 hours to go to the mall or take tours and see the city. It really is a great thing for the community," Nauticus Executive Director Stephen Kirkland told NewsChannel 3's Todd Corillo Monday.
The stopover visits in Norfolk are seasonal, usually in the spring and fall.
When combining the Carnival cruises that originate from Norfolk with the stopover traffic, Kirkland says there were more than 50,000 passengers in Norfolk in 2015, an increase from 20,000 in 2014.
Those passengers are bringing an important economic impact to the city.
"Typically on average those guests spend about $100 to $125 while they are in port. We’ve had 50,000 cruise ships passengers in total this year. Times that by 100 bucks a person," Kirkland explained.
Already the itineraries are being made for cruise visits to Norfolk in 2016 and 2017.
