PORTLAND, Maine — The first cruise ship of the season arrived in Portland on Thursday, carrying 220 passengers and marking the start of a busy tourism period that runs through November. Portland is expecting a total of 103 cruise ships this year, according to city officials, with nearly 200,000 passengers projected to come ashore. That influx of people has an impact on local businesses and residents. Cruise ship passengers contributed an estimated $19 million to the local economy last year, according to VisitPortland. For some businesses close to the water, cruise ship season is essential.  Denise Holmes, manager of the Danforth Pewter gift shop on Commercial Street, said they welcome the ships. On cruise ship days, Holmes said they have upwards of 500 customers. In addition to more sales, it brings more awareness to the company. “Cruise ships are fantastic. I mean, the people that are on them are happy, they’re purchasing, and it’s a big, big part of our business. It’s the busiest time of the year for us,” Holmes said. “The cruise ships are needed, you know, for small companies like this to survive.” Some Portland residents have concerns about crowds and the environmental harm that cruise ships can cause.  A new community group, Portland Cruise Control, is working to raise awareness about what they say are negative impacts of the cruise industry. Co-founder JoAnn Locktov said many ships use scrubbers, which are systems that remove pollutants from the exhaust produced by a ship but wash the waste into the water instead. The group has proposed the city ban the practice and for ships to use clean fuel instead. “It means that we would have less air pollution, and the water pollution that we now have, the wash that’s being discharged into Casco Bay would be completely eliminated, so it’s a wonderful, wonderful idea,” Locktov said. She and other residents also fear that cruise passengers may bring viruses ashore. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024 was the worst year for stomach bug outbreaks on cruises in over a decade.