by Brian Major
Last updated: 3:25 PM ET, Fri April 12, 2024
Colombia tourism officials are predicting a surge in
cruise calls and passenger arrivals during the 2023-2024 season, with 214
visits from 30 cruise lines expected to bring 329,226 passengers to the South American
nation, according to officials at ProColombia, Colombia’s tourism promotion
agency.
ProColombia officials say the country achieved a 151
percent increase in cruise ship arrivals and a 346 percent rise in passenger
arrivals between the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 seasons, which extend from October
to June.
Agency officials say the cruise industry will have a $50
million impact on Colombia’s economy in 2023/2024. Ships from Royal Caribbean
International, Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Celebrity
Cruises, and MSC Cruises will call at ports around the country in 2024.
Cruise vessels will visit ports in cities including Cartagena,
Santa Marta and Buenaventura, with 14 ships set to call at these ports. Buenaventura,
on Colombia’s Pacific coast, received its first expedition ship earlier this
year, officials say.
An Emerald Cruises ship, Emerald Azzura, called at the
port of Cabo de la Vela in Colombia’s La Guajira department made the first-ever cruise
call in the region in January.
“The department of La Guajira is precisely a region with
high potential for [tourism] activity,” due to its beautiful natural landscapes, said Germán Umaña Mendoza, Colombia’s
minister of trade, industry and tourism, in a statement.
ProColombia officials are “committed to the mandate of
the national government and President Gustavo Petro to boost tourism in a
broader and improved way in various regions of the country.”
The agency’s strategy is to “promote non-traditional destinations
that are emerging as hidden gems with immense potential to captivate and enchant
cruise passengers,” said Carmen Caballero, ProColombia’s president.
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