Officials from Carnival Cruise Line celebrated the return of two ships to the Port of Galveston on Sunday.

Along with the Federal Maritime Commission, Galveston city and port officials and local businesses, Carnival highlighted the economic impact of cruising in Galveston and throughout Texas as the Carnival Breeze and Carnival Vista returned to the port.

The Port of Galveston at the Galveston Wharves is the fourth most popular cruise homeport in North America and the only cruise port in Texas. The city’s cruise business generates $1.6 billion in expenditures annually and 27,000 jobs statewide.

Speakers at the event included Carnival President Christine Duffy, Galveston Mayor Dr. Craig Brown, Port of Galveston Director Rodger Rhees, Galveston Chamber of Commerce President Gina Spagnola and more.

“Today was yet another significant milestone in our efforts to resume cruising in the U.S.,” Duffy said during the ceremony. “We've said all along that we would like the cruise industry be given equal treatment of other travel and hospitality companies and this event sent a strong and unified message that we need to start sailing again.”

To show Carnival’s commitment to safety as it pushes for the resumption of operations, crew members from Carnival Vista and Carnival Breeze received COVID-19 vaccinations on-site from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

Carnival Cruise Line is the number one cruise operator from Galveston and the only cruise operator with three year-round ships at the port. Carnival Vista, Carnival Breeze and Carnival Dream operate 175 voyages annually from Galveston, carrying an estimated 750,000 passengers a year.