The Costa Rican Tourism Institute has announced an alliance with the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association, to develop a long-term strategy and encourage the arrival of more cruise ships.
According to the agreement, Costa Rica will receive guidance from the FCCA to establish a National Cruise Strategy that involves the development of Costa Rica as a cruise destination, which includes port infrastructure, tourism operations and security, as well as promoting demand and the understanding of the cruise industry and its operational practices in port cities in order to build cooperative relationships through the development of productive actions with the private and public sectors.
In the first five months of the year the country received 215,581 cruise tourists, who generated $27 million in revenue.
The Panama Tourism Authority notes that in the first five months of the year, "... an average of 45,000 monthly cruise passengers disembarked at the port at the edge of the city of Colon and in the port in Amador on the Pacific entrance to the Canal. "
Cruise operators have informed the government of Panama about their interest in investing $30 million in order to build a cruise terminal on the Amador Causeway.
The concession would be awarded for a period of 20 years, renewable for another 20 years, and would be for the operation of a port to be built on the Amador Causeway, near the Balboa Yacht Club.
The Port of Amapala could become a shipping center for cruise passengers, said the Honduran Minister of Tourism.
A press release from the Ministry of Tourism of Honduras states:
The Port of Amapala could become a shipping center for cruise passengers, reported the Honduran Minister of Tourism Nelly Jerez after a tour of the zone by the executives and the president of the Federation of Cruise Lines in Florida and the Caribbean FCCA, Michele Paige.
The Association of Caribbean and Florida Cruise Lines (FCCA) closed its annual meeting with a commitment to make further investments in the region.
Michael Ronan, vice-president for Royal Caribbean said that they have investment projects for the region over the next two years, motivated by a desire to make closer ties with the region.
According to an article in Laprensa.hn, "For his part, Kevin Sheehan, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line, said that "one of the points of this conference was to focus in more detail on the Central American regions, recognizing its wealth and resources and acknowledging that we have work together so that the services tourists receive when they reach their destination may be the best, in order that income levels are increased '. "