[Dr. Scarpetta]

Since choosing Long Beach as its West Coast home port in 2003, Carnival has become an important piece of the city's growing tourism and convention industries, drawing more than 450,000 here annually.

A 2008 study conducted by economists at Cal State Long Beach revealed Carnival passengers spend about $20million annually on local services such as hotels, food, transportation, parking and retail.

From that, the city collects roughly $1 million in sales tax and $450,000 in hotel tax.

For its ships, Carnival also spends an estimated $45million each year on supplies purchased from area vendors, including food, alcohol, fuel, disposable dishware and other goods.

The company employs 2,800 people locally, including nearly 1,160 on the Splendor.

[Dr. Scarpetta]

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