Victoria has officially reached a major tourism milestone, welcoming its one-millionth cruise ship passenger of the year for the first time in the city’s history.
The historic moment was celebrated Tuesday, October 13th, at Ogden Point, where the Norwegian Encore arrived with thousands of passengers aboard.
According to the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA), Geri Skardina, visiting from California with her husband Gary, was recognized as Victoria’s millionth cruise passenger of the 2026 season.
The couple received a special welcome, including a gift basket filled with local products and a private VIP tour.
Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto and representatives from Destination Greater Victoria were among those taking part in the celebration.
The achievement marks a new record for Victoria, which came close to reaching the milestone last year with 989,950 cruise passengers.
And it isn’t just passenger numbers breaking records. The GVHA says the 2026 season is also expected to finish with 332 cruise ship visits, surpassing the previous record of 329 set in 2022.
The season began April 10th with the arrival of the Nieuw Amsterdam and included visits from two cruise lines new to Victoria, Virgin Voyages and MSC Cruises.
While the million-passenger milestone has now been reached, Victoria’s cruise ship season isn’t quite over.
The National Geographic Venture is scheduled to arrive at Ogden Point this Sunday, October 18th, marking the final cruise ship visit of 2026.
According to the GVHA’s current schedule, the smaller expedition vessel is expected to arrive at 8 a.m. and depart at 11 p.m., officially bringing another busy cruise season to a close.
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