It’s time to bid Vancouver cruise season a good night.

And what a season it’s been—with a record number of 1.32 million passengers.

“When you compare that to 2023, which was previously a record cruise season, we actually exceeded our passenger levels for 2024 by 80,000 cruise passengers,” Chance McKee of the Vancouver-Fraser Port Authority told CTV News at Canada Place Monday.

This success has translated into benefits for some businesses, including MAKE’s Gastown location in Vancouver.

“It’s been a great season,” gift shop manager John Ong said Monday. “I found out that this year tourism started early with the first cruise ships and they are still going strong. The last week has been quite busy with the few ships still coming and going.

This rebound is a welcome development after the cruise ship industry and related sectors endured so much hardship during the pandemic.

“Tourists are such fun people, and we have a fun store, so we have fun with them – they love coming,” Ong said. “We’re always told this is their favorite place to go, and a lot of it is because we love being here.

The Port Authority released a study earlier this year finding that passengers, crew and cruise lines spend a combined $1.1 billion locally each year.

This record-breaking season ends Tuesday with the departure of the Norwegian Jewel, with the port authority expecting to see similar numbers of visitors next season.