Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson announced big news for the Port City in a press conference held at Mobile’s Regional Airport.

Shortly after his plane touched down from a trip to Miami, Mayor Stimpson informed the public that he had reached a formalized agreement with Carnival Cruise Line that will extend their commitment to keep a cruise ship operating out of Mobile until 2018.

Currently, the Carnival Fantasy ship calls the Port City home as part of an agreement reached in 2015. The original contract was intended to last for 13 months, with an option of extending.

This contract extension is a huge boost for the city of Mobile considering that just a few years ago Carnival decided to relocate one its ships from Mobile to New Orleans. That move left tax payers with an empty $18 million cruise terminal. Now that Carnival has returned, the city is making $1 million annually on the terminal instead of losing $2.3 million a year.

As part of his plan to make Mobile a tourist destination, Stimpson said,

“We continue to build the momentum of the growing cruise industry in Mobile and are committed to expanding the cruising options and destinations both in and out of our port.” he said. “If we all work together, Mobile will become one of America’s top destinations for global travelers.”

With Carnival’s commitment to keep the Fantasy in the Port City, Mobilians can expect to see continued economic success for the foreseeable future.