Year-to-date cross channel traffic decreased by just .04 percent (not quite half a percentage point) as of the end of September, according to visitor statistics kept by the Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau. In other words, overall cross channel visitor traffic was essentially flat. An increase in ferry boat passenger counts offset a decrease in cruise ship passengers.
Cross channel carriers brought 2 percent more visitors in September 2018 than in September 2018, according to the Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau. Unfortunately, the number of cruise ship passengers visiting Avalon in September 2018 decreased by 8.4 percent from the same time last year.
Small boats brought 8,072 individuals to Catalina in September 2018, a 2.2 percent decrease from September 2017. Even so, the year-to-date number of people aboard boats was 2.3 percent higher than last year at this time.
September 2018 brought 1,398 passengers to the Airport in the Sky, a 7.4 percent increase in the number of passengers who landed in September of last year.
This brought the year-to-date airport visitor count to 10 percent higher than this time last year.Information about revenue generated by Island visitors in September was not available. As the Islander reported last week, the Avalon City Council recently discussed—but took no action on—changing the curent practice of award $1 million a year in the transient occupancy (hotel bed) tax.
David N. Young contributed to this story.
