TOURIST WAVE SET TO INCREASE

More cruise ships will visit Panama

The cruise ships visiting the country have steadily increased and the new home port will make Panama an attractive destination

MARIJULIA PUJOL LLOYD
mpujolstar@laestrella.com.pa

Since Panama signed an agreement with cruise ships companies, which are members of the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association in October 2000, the arrival of passengers to the Panamanian ports of Gatun, Colon 2000, Cristobal, Balboa, Fuerte Amador and Kuna Yala has increased, which confirm the status of the country as an established tourist destination.

So far Panama has made agreements with some 20 cruise lines, which means that at least 40 cruise ships list the country as a destination. Some of the lines that visit Panamanian waters are Carnival Corporation, Celebrity Cruises, Cunard Line Cruises and P&O Cruises.

The manager of Puerto Colon 2000, Augusto Terracina said that the new port infrastructures currently under construction, will be finished in December of this year and will be able to receive the Royal Caribbean cruise ship “Enchantment of the Seas” with its 1000 crew and 2,500 passengers.

Panama will be the port of origin for the Enchantment and will allow travelers coming from South America and Europe to cruise around the Caribbean, without having to go to a U.S. port or needing a U.S. visa.

Terracina said that the collaboration of Royal Caribbean and Copa airlines is vital for the success of the project.

Copa with the Hub of the Americas, has created a network of airline connections that allows the cruise passengers to fly directly to Panama to board the ship. It is expected that the new cruise ship program will generate at least $1.5 million per month for the country, taking into account the amount of money visitors and the crew will spend during their stay in Panama. Royal Caribbean has invested $16 million to make Panama the Home Port for “Enchantment of the Seas”, which will visit the islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao in the Caribbean. The Colon manager, explained that the Tocumen airport expansion and the new highway Panama-Colon will make it easier to transport passengers from the airport to the port.

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