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.
For the period 2017/18 81 cruise ships are expected to arrive in the country, which represents a 14% increase over the previous season.
The increase in arrivals of cruise ships is combined with greater availability of infrastructure and reduction in landing times, since, according to the National Port Company have "...new docks allow tourists arriving in San Juan del Sur on a cruise to disembark in an hour and a half, which is half the time it took before ...".
Last year 62,500 people arrived in the country aboard cruise ships, registering a 35% growth compared with the previous year.
Figures from the Nicaraguan Tourism Institute's Statistics Bulletin for 2016 reveal an increase in the number of tourists who arrived in the country aboard cruise ships, as well as other data relevant to the tourism sector.
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.
45 cruise ships are expected to arrive during the 2015/16 season, 21% more than in the previous season, when 37 boats arrived to the country.
The two ports where cruise ships will dock are Puerto Corinto and San Juan del Sur, and they will start arriving from October 2015 to May 2016.
The president of the Nicaraguan Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises (Cantur), Leonardo Torres said that "...In the case of cruise ships that dock in San Juan del Sur, tourists visit the historical farm of Amayo, in the department of Rivas; and the colonial city of Granada. "
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:
An expansion will be carried out of the port of San Juan del Sur in order for it to have four cruise ships docking at the same time and add infrastructure to cater to tourists.
According to Rodrigo Castro, an official from Empresa Portuaria Nacional in San Juan del Sur, this project aims to diversify services and will favor a much faster attention to tourists and embarking and disembarking.
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.
For the 2013-2014 season, 28 cruise ships will arrive at San Juan del Sur and 13 at Puerto Corinto, 11% more than in the previous season.
This was announced by the Nicaraguan Institute of Tourism (Intur). The number of cruise ships is 10.8% higher than those who docked in the previous season, when they were 37 boats.
According to the Intur, the first will arrive on October 2, the Island Princess with 1,970 tourists and will dock at the tourist resort in San Juan del Sur. In the next few days the Coral Princess will arrive at the same destination with 1,970 other tourists.
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.
The momentum in this sector needs more services and port infrastructure in order to consolidate and join the global growth of this industry.
The region needs to improve port infrastructure in order to be able to receive the new boats which are becoming bigger and bigger and with this take advantage of the 20% growth that is projected in the next season.
The event will be held from 29 to 31 May in Antigua Guatemala.
According to an article in Siglo21.com.gt "Antigua Guatemala will host the second Central American Cruise Conference 2013, which will take place from 29 to 31 May, with which it hopes to impact this tourism segment in the country . $100,000 is being invested in the activity. "
Pedro Duchez, director of the Guatemalan Tourism Institute (Inguat), explained that the amount to be invested in the conference will have a positive impact on the country, as it will be recompensed with the arrival more cruise goers.
Nicaragua's government will invest $ 3.5 million in the renovation and expansion of the cruise port, and then hand over its administration to Royal Caribbean.
Last July it was announced that "the U.S. shipping company Royal Caribbean presented Nicaraguan authorities with an investment project in the town of San Juan del Sur on the Pacific side of the country, which aims to provide adequate facilities for boats and large cruise ships. "
The Nicaraguan Institute of Tourism and the Cruise Association of Florida and the Caribbean have signed an agreement to promote the arrival of cruise ships to the shores of the country.
As part of the agreement, Nicaragua will pay a fee for each cruise passenger who disembarks on Nicaraguan soil.
An article in Elpueblopresidente.com reports that the promotion agreed to means "Nicaragua will be included in published catalogs and brochures and all promotional activities carried out by the Cruise Association of Florida and the Caribbean, in order to increase the arrival of these boats to Nicaragua. "