L.A's cruise business is sinking

Only 605,000 travelers will board cruises at the Port of Los Angeles this year, down from a peak of 1.2 million in 2005. Next year is expected to be even worse - and all this is coming at a time when the overall cruise business has been on the upswing. The big problem is drug violence in Mexico. Even though most of the trouble is far from the usual ports of call, the liners are scared. From the Daily Breeze:

Royal Caribbean International's Mariner of the Seas, one of the largest passenger ships that had served the West Coast, left the Port of Los Angeles earlier this year for more lucrative trips out of Europe and Galveston, Texas. Earlier this month, Norwegian Cruise Lines reassigned the Norwegian Star from Los Angeles to Tampa, Fla. As a result, seasonal cruises offered at the port wrapped up earlier this month with the final Hawaiian excursion of the Golden Princess.

All of which is likely to have a noticeable effect on the local tourism economy, especially in the South Bay.