ALTON, Ill. — After a summer of flooding, some good news is coming to Alton.
The City of Alton approved a five-year deal with American Cruise Lines to dock and launch passenger cruises of the Mississippi River from Alton.
The cruises will start in 2020. Eleven cruises will depart from Alton in that first year before increasing to 23 cruises in 2021 and 2022.
As part of the agreement, American Cruise Lines will promote tourism and retail activity in Alton. That promotion will include tours of Alton and shuttle services between docked boats and Alton's shopping district on East Broadway.
"So, we have people staying the night when they fly into Lambert, you know, they are going to stay in our hotels, they will have the options to go on our shore excursion, and each of these are economic impacts," said Brett Stawar, president and CEO of Great Rivers and Routes of Southwest Illinois.
He said their organization estimates the deal could bring more than $2 million of business to the area.
"They're going to have a wonderful opportunity to experience our living history tours," Stawar said. "We've got a great Audubon center they will go on, we will do a hop-on hop-off tour in downtown Alton to experience our quaint antique shops, art center just the general feel of downtown."
American Cruise Lines operates 13 ships that vary from paddle wheels like the Queen of the Mississippi to the modern-style luxury ships like the American Harmony.