Cruise ships will be able to dock at the Solomon P. Ortiz International Center once the Harbor Bridge has been moved to the other side of the facility. The current bridge is not tall enough to allow the bigger ships through.
State Rep. Todd Hunter will chair a newly formed state committee to study bringing cruise ships to South Texas. The idea has long been a pet project of the local state-elected official. He was appointed by Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives Joe Straus.
“I am honored to be named chairman of the Cruise Ship Committee,” Hunter said in a statement. “This is a great opportunity to showcase the Coastal Bend for cruise ship travel and tourism. Our area is a wonderful location for this economic development.”
The committee will study the potential economic impact and incentive options to attract cruise ships to the region. It will then make recommendations to the legislature before the 85th regular session in January 2017.
“We represent one of the fastest-growing areas in the country, a robust tourism industry and a wealth of natural resources,” Hunter said. “By providing an interim study, we can begin to outline the benefits of the economic impact that can be generated in South Texas by the development of the cruise industry and the benefits that South Texas offers the industry.”
The committee was made possible by passage last session of Senate Concurrent Resolution 5, which Hunter helped get through the legislative process. The cruise ship industry has the potential to bring a significant economic boost to the state. Hunter discussed the issue with constituents at town hall meetings across District 32 over the last year. In 2010 alone, he said, 15 million passengers took cruises, while the cruise industry generated 313,998 jobs paying out $14.23 billion in wages and salaries.
