For better or worse, Detroit has long been known for its automobile industry and its general decay in recent years but could a port development project now underway lead it to become a stop for cruises?
A US$21.5 million port development project opening next month is also aimed at adding a Detroit-Windsor ferry and “creating new waterfront tourism,” according to The Detroit Free Press.
The newspaper said the dock when completed can accommodate cruise ships for the first time.
"(It) goes to Windsor. It goes to Chicago. It goes to the other big ports, but it has to skip Detroit because it doesn’t have a port. Now it does," Chris Clark, general manager of the Detroit Princess Riverboat, told Fox News in Detroit.
The report also speculates that ships going to Chicago and Toronto could add Detroit among its stops. Not everyone agreed.
The federally funded $21.5 million port development along the Detroit River that officials expect will draw cruise ships is a misguided use of tax dollars, according to a Mackinac Center analyst.
"On net balance, these kinds of investments are little more than expensive ribbon-cutting ceremonies," Mike LaFaive, director of the Mackinac Center’s Morey Fiscal Policy Initiative, told the Detroit Free Press.
Project supporters hope that Detroit’s proximity to an international airport and major hotels could prompt cruise lines to make the city a homeport where cruises will begin and end.
"We have a jewel here, an international border, a nice river, downtown areas. It’s something that’s not just necessary. It’s a very smart move," said Detroit businessman Milan Stevanovich.
By David Wilkening
