Tall Ships Erie 2022 is getting national recognition for its success.

They were awarded “Port of the Year” by the National Tall Ships America Association.

Over the summer, Dobbins Landing was full of nautical relics that brought in a treasure chest full of money. The four-day celebration of maritime heritage brings a fleet of tall ships to the state’s only port on the Great Lakes.

The “Port of the Year” award reflects how successful Tall Ships Erie planned and executed the event.

“With all the ships coming to the community and then how the tourism was affected and how well the people in the community supported us and participated. So, we are really thrilled to be recognized for the second time in a row,” said Rebecca Grimaldi of Tall Ships Erie.

She added Tall Ships Erie 2022 working with Visit Erie saw a 41% increase in tourism for the four-day period since 2019.

“And that was great coming out of COVID and the pandemic, it was really a tough season. We were not really sure we could pull it off so to have such a strong response from people coming into the community as well as people in the community attending the event was really a positive sign that people really loved the event,” Grimaldi said.

Executives with Visit Erie said the award is a testament to their commitment to holding high-quality events.

“And we see that with the number of participants, not only people that are coming to Erie to go to the festival but those coming in as part of the festival itself,” said Christine Temple of Visit Erie.

Tall Ships Erie will return to the Bayfront in summer 2025.