In Guatemala, the designs of the cruise terminal and the liquid bulk terminal, both in the National Port of Santo Tomas de Castilla, Puerto Barrios, Izabal, are tendered.
Guatemala Government Purchase 10213864:
"Terminal design for cruise ships, Santo Tomas de Castilla National Port, Barrios Port, Izabal."
The National Port Company Santo Tomás de Castilla will seek external financing to develop the expansion works planned for the port terminal in the next five years.
According to the representatives of the Empresa Portuaria Nacional Santo Tomas de Castilla (Empornac), in the next five years a cruise terminal will be built, one for solid and liquid bulk, and another for containers.
In Guatemala, the 2017-2018 cruise season closed with the arrival of 115 vessels, exceeding by 20% those reported in the previous period.
According to statistics from the Guatemalan Institute of Tourism (INGUAT) in the 2017-2018 season, the boats that docked on the coasts of the country had a total of 152,192 tourists.
Jorge Mario Chajon, director of Inguat, said to Dca.gob.gt that "...
For the 2017-2018 season, the arrival of 165,000 tourists on board 120 cruise ships is expected, which will represent an increase of 33% over the previous period.
The general director of the Guatemalan Tourism Institute (Inguat), Jorge Mario Chajon, stated that "...the current cruise season that began in September and will end next August, will be the best ever in Guatemala, both terms of the arrival of vessels, as well as the number of cruise passengers and the projected foreign exchange income. 'A total of 120 cruises will arrive during the season, which is 25% more than last year'."
The 2019 edition of the Central America Cruise Summit will be held in San Jose, Costa Rica, in the new National Congress and Convention Center.
Central America Cruise Summit is held every two years and this is the first time it will take place in Costa Rica. This event brings together more than 200 people including representatives of tour operators, shipping agents, tourism ministries, service providers and executives from the 19cruiselinesaffiliated with the FCCA, which operate more than 100 ships in Florida, the Caribbean and Latin America. In addition, the activity promotes seminars to train the tourism industry.
In the season which began on September 16 and which will end in August 2018, the record number of 120 cruise ships is expected to arrive at the ports of Santo Tomás de Castilla, Río Dulce, Livingston and Puerto Quetzal.
From a statement issued by the Guatemalian Tourism Institute:
Guatemala, October 16, 2017.The current cruise season is marked by a series of characteristics, that make it historical.Among them, three new cruise lines will be arriving at Guatemalan coasts.In addition, the cruise lines that already travel to the country have scheduled visits by eight cruise ships which will stop at the ports for the first time.And, the most outstanding thing is that a record historical figure has been set for Guatemala, with the arrival of a total of 120 boats in the current season.The projected contribution to the economy from foreign exchange earnings is over $7 million.
The Central American Cruise Summit 2017 will be held in San Pedro Sula from May 10 to 12, and is expected to include the participation of 200 people linked to the tourist industry in the region.
At the summit organized every year by the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association issues will be discussed such as tourism development, ports, tourism operations and security for tourists, among other issues related to the cruise industry.
Improvements in promoting marine tourism could be the cause of the increase in the number of tourists arriving on cruise ships in the first half of the year compared to the same period in 2014.
According to tourism entrepreneurs, the promotional strategy that has been implemented to increase cruise ship arrivals to the country is paying off, and explains the observed increase in tourist arrivals by air.
Each cruise passenger spends on average $70 in the terminal and $89 on tours offered in areas around the port.
The country aims to increase the number of cruise ships arriving Guatemalan land joining forces with other interested regions and through partnerships with companies.
According to official data "during the 2012-2013 season, the cruise segment grew by 148% in Guatemala, with the arrival of 71 boats. "
In the Pacific port of Costa Rica a cruise ship route has been inaugurated which will cover the Mesoamerican coast and end in Los Angeles, California.
The "Mesoamerican Route" operated by Azamara Club Cruises, a cruise line attached to Royal Caribbean International, starts in Puerto Caldera, ending 14 days later in the U.S.
From a press release from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute:
Shorter cruises, packages and more options in emerging destinations such as the Panama Canal and Australia are some of the trends for 2014.
This was revealed by the review site Cruise Critic based on the industry reports, surveys and reviews from passengers.
Create your own package: cruise lines are giving passengers the opportunity to select offers and make their own package, including airline, onboard credit and other things.
The company has announced it will reduce the number of its customer service centers from 11-3 , and in Guatemala it has hired BPO services from Xerox.
The firm Xerox will be responsible for business process outsourcing (BPO) services for Guatemala where it is projected that 215 jobs will be created.
According to Federico Medinilla, manager of Xerox, "the cruise operator has been divided into three units: Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises. The call center in Guatemala will handle the customer service aspect for the three companies. "
Empresa Portuaria Quetzal is putting out to tender improvement works on a Dolphin type pier located in the Cruise Terminal of Puerto Quetzal.
The current deterioration of the Dolphin type pier, located at the cruise terminal in the western basin of Puerto Quetzal, is putting its infrastructure at risk of collapse, resulting in difficulties in service cruise ships and exposure to sanctions for non-compliance with international standards.
Most cruise ships arriving in Central America have to operate at docks designed for cargo handling, and as such are not fit for passenger traffic.
Richard Sasso, president and CEO of MSC Cruises USA, noted that one of the main issues is having suitable docks so that cruise ships can dock directly, instead of using small boats to unload passengers in groups, as this causes many delays.