The connection between the port and the port city and its surrounding area is a dynamic and multi-dimensional relationship. In this review, the interaction is examined from the economic dimension. Over the years, the port served as a strong economic anchor, although in many cases the question was asked whether the port contributes to the development of the city and the region, or, alternatively, the city contributes to the development of the port and the region.
Port Economic Impact Studies are very common among the ports of the world. The new Bay Port project and the and infrastructures and developments around it will include a financial investment of one billion dollars in a project that has many economic implications.
The activity around the building process of the new port is creating a demand for many goods and services: increased employment, development of direct and auxiliary businesses, upgrading of infrastructures, and a long list of topics. International experience shows that the project of constructing a new port introduces a substantial economic multiplier that affects the employment and the economy of the port city and its region.
In a preliminary examination that has been conducted recently, the difference between the number of importers and exporters in the city of Haifa and their number in northern Israel emphasizes the importance of the port of Haifa to the north. The number of importers and exporters in the north of the country (not including Haifa) is double that in Haifa.
