The concessionaire of the cruise port Colon 2000 in Panama will have have the right to operate the terminal and use of the area under concession for twenty more years.
Among the plans of the concessionaire Corporación de Costas Tropicales Panamá&Colón S.A.
Through an agreement with the Spanish wholesaler Aquatravel, for a period of twelve months a weekly charter flight with 300 passengers will be coming to Tocumen from Madrid.
The agreement between the Spanish tourism company and Adventure Tourism 2000 also states that "... at least half the passengers coming in the charter will stay in Panama, taking into account that a percentage will use the air link to connect from Panama to other destinations in the region.
The number of passengers who arrived in the country on cruise ships between January and November 2014 decreased by 16% compared to the same period last year.
From January to the end of November 2014 a total of 191,345 passengers arrived aboard cruise ships, ie 36,986 fewer passengers than the number reported during the same period in 2013. Over the past five years, 2011 saw the highest number of tourists reported by this means of transport, while 2012 had the he lowest number.
An announcement has been made that on October 24th a ferry will begin operating between Panama and Colombia, with a connection in the island of Bocas del Toro.
Two years after the last attempt to connect the cities of Colombia and Panama via a maritime route, Panama-based Ferry Xpress will be launching the project on October 24th.
Up to November last year, 301,149 tourists arrived on cruise ships at Panamanian ports, 9.2 % more than in the same month in 2012.
Statistics from the Tourism Authority of Panama (ATP) reveal that between January and November 2013, 301,149 tourists arrived in the country on cruises, 25,470 visitors more than in the same period in 2012, an increase of 9.2%. This sector contributed $45 million to the national economy in that period.
The country is not on the cruise ship's route map for next season, leaving only Pullmantur using Colon 2000 as a home port.
"A month ago we were told the ship would go the port of Tampa in Florida, so we had the opportunity to negotiate to find an alternative," said Solomon Shamah, administrator of the PanamaTourism Authority (ATP).
During the 2013-14 season the arrival of 120 cruise ships are expected at the port of Colon, with the estimated expenditure of each passenger on land being $125.
The number of cruise ships foreseen for this season is similar to the number of arrivals that occurred in the previous period. Between December 2013 and January 2014, the port will receive 54 cruises ships across the Atlantic, ie 27 cruises every month.
A shipping vessel owned by Panamerican Seaways with capacity for 1,500 passengers and 500 cars, will begin travelling in May between Cartagena de Indias in Colombia and Colon in Panama.
Operators calculate that between 800 and 1,000 people will be carried on the "Nissos Rodos" ferry per trip, with rates starting from $99 and going up to $508.
Demand for places on cruises leaving from Home Port Colon 2000 in Panama remains high, with Royal Caribbean and Pullmantur recording 100% occupancy rates on its ships in recent months.
The Grandeur of the Seas, belonging to Royal Caribbean, and the Horizon, owned by Pullmantur Cruises are two ships that have had 100% occupancy throughout the season of the Home Port Colon 2000, reports Pananaamerica.com.pa.
Royal Caribbean has confirmed the port of Colon as its point of departure for cruise ships until 2011-2012.
The second season will finish in April 2010, and the third will run from November 2010 to April 2011. A fourth was confirmed, from November 2011 to April 2012.
Michael Ronan, vice president of Royal Caribbean said that in order to maintain Panama as the Home Port, “passengers must be satisfied, the product must generate benefits for the company and we must identify demand in the long term”.
Carnival announced that it will conduct four more trips to the Colón 2000 port, outside of the standard cruise season.
The cruise season is from December to the month of April. Nevertheless, on June 9th, the Carnival Freedom cruise ship docked with 2,900 passengers at the Colón 2000 port.
The first cruise ship season in the Colón Home Port ended with 21 ships raising anchor and 52 thousand passengers.
Since December 2008, 52 thousand cruise ship passengers have boarded at the terminal in ColónPort 2000; 14 thousand Panamanians and the rest mostly Colombians, Mexicans, Costa Ricans and Venezuelans.
The American company is working on the launching of the third season of the Enchantment of the Seas cruise from Panama.
Laprensa.com reports in its website: "The American company had committed to operate the cruise for two seasons and, depending on the observed results, they would decide on prolonging its stay in Panama for more time"
With a total investment of $15 million, construction should be fully completed at the end of November.
On December 7, the Enchantment of the Seas cruise ship belonging to Royal Caribbean International should begin offering services to Latin American passengers from this port.
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