They say that everything is bigger in Texas… so it’s somewhat surprising that the state has only one major port at which cruise ships regularly docked, located in Galveston. But that could all change if the Texas legislature moves forward with a plan to build a port in South Texas.
Is It A Good Idea?
According to The Houston Chronicle, Todd Hunter, a republican representative from Corpus Christi, has long been looking to have a second port in Texas, dubbing it “a great opportunity for a big positive in the South Texas travel tourism market.”
Not everyone, however, is convinced… including Michael Mierzwa, who happens to be the director of Galveston’s port. Although the port he oversees is now the fourth busiest in the nation, he told the paper that it took a lot of work to even get major cruise lines interested in the Texas port. So the idea of suddenly having competition was viewed as “something to be concerned about and be aware of.”
Houston Went Bust!
Given how badly things have gone in Houston, it’s not surprising that many are skeptical. After all, that city’s port has been a financial disaster, a situation that got even worse when both Princess and Norwegian opted out of renewing their contracts. Senator John Whitmire, a Houston democrat, said at the time, “No one with common sense would build [a cruise ship port] where you have to go inland to pick up your passengers!”
As with most things involving the government, this won’t be resolved anytime soon. The paper reports that the legislation wouldn’t even be introduced until next year’s session.
Do you think South Texas needs a port? What ships would you like to see sail out of it should one be built?
