MUSKEGON, Mich. — Great Lakes cruise ships will be docking in Muskegon once again this year, which is good news for the tourism industry in Muskegon County.
Four different cruise ships will be making a total of 17 stops this summer.
Muskegon had even busier cruise ship seasons planned before the pandemic started.
In 2020, 35 stops were planned and in 2021 there were supposed to be 25 stops.
Each ship carries about 200 passengers, plus dozens of crew members, which really boosts business once they dock at Heritage Landing.
“Our museums and restaurants and breweries and some of the other establishments in downtown Muskegon really see quite a benefit from the cruise ship visitors as they come into town,” said Rob Lukens, community development director for Muskegon County. “We're just glad to have the ships back. It's been a long two years. And you know, I think this is really, really shows us that tourism is coming back to the state of Michigan.”
Tourism is a more than $300 million industry in Muskegon County.
