Competitiveness of Vancouver's cruise terminals

This report investigates how the legislative framework surrounding the port system impacts the competitiveness of Vancouver's Cruise terminals. The literature suggests that the legislative framework, primarily the Canada Marine Act, impacts ports through three avenues: governance, infrastructure investments, and funding and taxation environments. Using a combination of literature, financial data and interviews, this study considers three hypotheses to explain why Vancouver's cruise terminals are losing market share. It has found that Vancouver's competitive position is being impacted by an interaction of governance, taxation and market conditions. Suggesting that the legislative framework has similar impacts on all Canadian ports, an option designed to increase local autonomy, reduce political involvement and creatle more synthesis with market conditions is recommended.