Yahoo Finance

The cruise-ship industry is embracing a destination that might surprise you: Galveston, Texas. This island city of 53,000 people on the Gulf Coast may not be synonymous with luxury travel, but Galveston is the fourth-busiest cruise port in the U.S. The city, which served 1.7 million passengers last year, is opening a new cruise terminal later this year that could further build its appeal. Galveston’s proximity to major population centers like Houston and Dallas means it has a large market of potential passengers: Around 50 million people live within a 12-hour drive.