In Costa Rica a private consortium has proposed investing $50 million in the modernization of the port of Quepos, to transform it into a terminal with capacity to receive large cruise ships.
Authorities at the Costa Rican Institute of Ports of the Pacific (Incop) reported that the offer by the Costa Rican consortium CEPP Consultants LLC, which was put forward last Tuesday and will be analyzed starting from next week, and relates to a project be developed through the granting of a concession.
In Costa Rica the arrival of 224,000 passengers on board of 110 cruises is expected during the 2018-2019 season.
The cruise season is scheduled to begin on August 23, with the arrival of the Sea Princess ship to Puerto Limón.The Port Administration and Economic Development Board of the Atlantic Coast (Japdeva) announced that a total of 110 vessels are expected to arrive during the entire period.
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.
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.
During the 2016-2017 season, 250 cruise ships arrived at the country's ports, representing an increase of 34% over the previous season, and the number of tourists on board increased by 16%.
According to official figures, between the seasons 2015-2016 and 2016-2017, the number of tourists who arrived on board cruises grew by 16%, rising from 242,930 to 280,854.
For the period 2017/18 the arrival of 240 thousand tourists is expected aboard 115 cruise ships to the port of Limón, which represents a 4.5% increase over the previous season.
December 30 will be the day with the greatest influx of tourists along this route, as 7 thousand passengers are expected to arrive on board three ships, according to the schedule set out by the Port Administration and Economic Development Board of the Atlantic Slope. The season began on October 11 and will end in May 2018.
In Costa Rica a need has been identified to adapt port infrastructure for senior citizens, who represented 34% of those who arrived on cruises during the 2015-16 season.
Seventy-five percent of the tourists who arrived on cruises in the 2015-2016 season were over 45 years old, while those over 65 represented 34% of the total, according to the Costa Rican Tourism Institute.These figures reflect the characteristics of senior citizens arriving in Costa Rica, who require different services and infrastructure from other tourists, both when arriving at the port and during their stay in the country.
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.
From November 4 2016 to May 2017 Colombian tourists arriving in Costa Rica as cruise passengers will not require a consular visa to enter the country.
The measure aims to boost trade and tourism in the province of Limón, providing more facilities and agility to Colombian tourists visiting the country for a few hours while the cruise makes its stop in Puerto Limon.
As of December 6, 2015 a Pullmantur ship will use the port of Limón as a base during the four months of the cruise season.
The arrival of the cruise ship in Limon is part of an agreement signed between Viajes Colón and Pullmantur, which will provide a boat for up to 1828 passengers. The cruise ship will arrive at Limon every Sunday and offer two different routes through the Caribbean.
A bill proposes reducing from $3 to $1.5 the municipal tax paid by tourists who disembark from cruise ships in the port of Puntarenas.
As explained by the promoters of the proposal, the rate charged by the municipality of Esparza in the port of Puntarenas is greater than that at Puerto Limon, where $1.5 is charged per tourist.
Lack of adequate port infrastructure, mainly in the Caribbean, is the reason behind the decline in cruise ship arrivals in the past five years.
Although both coasts (Pacific and Caribbean) receive cruise ships at their ports, the one in Limón, in the Caribbean, is the most affected, as cruise goers must walk between trucks and containers when they disembark due to lack of adequate infrastructure.
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:
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