Steamboats' schedule gets expansion at Cape

They're the queens of the Mississippi, the grand old river sisters. They're regal and elegant and when they grace Cape Girardeau with their majestic presence each summer, they offer more than a sense of royalty.

They offer profit.

Better known as the American Queen, the Delta Queen, the Mississippi Queen and the River Explorer, these four passenger steamboats have again made their seasonal home on the waters of the Mississippi River, stopping periodically to dump hordes of tourists onto the streets of several river cities.

That's good news for downtown Cape Girardeau businesses, which will see increased visibility and boosted sales when the roughly 5,000 vacationers from places like Florida, Ohio and Michigan stop in their shops 27 times between Easter and Thanksgivingeager to spend money.

"We do a more brisk business, for sure," said Sherri Yaeger, who owns Renaissance, a home decor and gift shop on the corner of Main Street and Broadway. "We probably do 10 percent more business on boat day."

The American Queen was actually the first boat to stop in town last Tuesday, with about 185 passengers on a boat that holds 400. The American Queen also stopped Saturday again on its way south.

Ruth Fancher of Cincinnati spent some of her afternoon perusing antiques, gift items and bathroom decor items at a few shops.

"The people here and everywhere are so nice," she said. "We've enjoyed getting out and seeing the town. That's why we're doing this."

That was a common theme among the visitors.

"We love these stores you have here," said Jane Covington, of Tampa, Fla., as she and her husband, Harrison, went from shop to shop. "Where we live, the mall has closed everything up. We don't have antique shops and cute little stores. It's wonderful."

Bobbing upward

Things haven't always been so wonderful. Like other tourism-related businesses, the steamboat cruise industry is just beginning to shake off the effects of Sept. 11, 2001.

In 2001, there were only eight Cape Girardeau stops and American Classic Voyages, which owned the three riverboat Queens, filed for bankruptcy.

The boats stopped sailing entirely for awhile until they were purchased in May 2002, when Delaware North Co. bought the company that owned the boats from bankruptcy court, said Delta Queen Steamboat Co. spokesman Lucette Brehm.

Slowly, business returned. Last year, there were 22 stops and this year there will be 26 stops, which also includes stops by the Riverboat Explorer, which is owned by Riverbarge Excursion Lines. Both companies are based in New Orleans.

"It's an unusual time right now in the world for vacation experiences," Brehm said. "But we're doing fairly well now. We're holding our own."

Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau director Chuck Martin said that, especially in today's economy, every little bit helps.

"People get off and go into the restaurants and others go into the gift shops," Martin said. "But people even go into the clothing stores. It's just a variety of different impacts."

Downtown businesses prepare for boat day. Streets are closed off, information tents are set up. Welcome signs go up. Several of the 20 Paddlewheelers, a group of senior citizens, greet people as they exit the boat.

Jeff and Debra Martin, who own Patricia Ann's on Main Street, set out some of their store's gourmet food for people to try. On Tuesday, several tourists stopped in off of the American Queen.

"It's really good for Cape Girardeau in general, but it's good for us, too," Jeff Martin said. "If we can help make their experience more enjoyable, and sell our products while we're at it, all the better."

Martin said there's never been an in-depth study about how much the boat traffic means to businesses here, he said he's sure it's significant for some.

"Not every store is going to feel it," he said. "I'm sure some don't see a big bump. But I think as the community as a whole goes, it's a positive, especially when people leave with a good impression of our community."

Martin said people who have stopped off the boat briefly sometimes come back to get a better look at the town later on.

"These are all people from other places who are spending their dollars locally," Martin said. "This all impacts us in many ways."

smoyers@semissourian.com

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