The cruise season that will begin next Friday, November 12th in the national Caribbean will be a breath of air for Limón. It is estimated that, on this occasion, tourists leave about $ 32 million in foreign currency for the goods and services they purchase.
On average, each boat leaves $ 300,000 in the province and for this season 107 boats have already been confirmed, highlighted Andrea Centeno, executive president of Japdeva.
That is why the resumption of cruises was one of the most anticipated activities in the Caribbean, after more than a year and a half of paralysis of the industry as a result of the pandemic.
The main business
Visiting Caribbean tourist destinations is the main business that visitors will reactivate. The best-selling sites are the Tortuguero and Cahuita canals, as well as rural tourism packages to farms in Río Banano, forested areas in Liverpool, rapids in Siquirres, producing farms in Guácimo and the cable car.
But there are also resources in the artisan stalls that are enabled at the access to the pier and in the shops in the center of the province by tourists who decide not to go too far. Currently the Limón dock is in a refurbishment phase to adapt it to cruise tourism.
Safety measures
The program includes a hand of painting with colorful tones, the placement of plants, the habilitation of the artisan area, among others. In addition, lavatories and alcohol dispensers are installed as part of the sanitary measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The protocol also establishes the mandatory vaccination of both tourists and the crew, as well as compliance with capacity and areas to use masks.
The Emerald Princess, of the Princess Cruise line, will be the first on the list of cruises that will arrive at the national Caribbean coast between November and May. It is a 290-meter ship with a capacity for 3,082 passengers and a crew of up to 1,200 people.
According to what has been established so far, the season will close on Monday, May 3rd with the Adventure of the Seas ship, from the Marinsa shipping company; but it could vary.
The positioning that Limón has been obtaining in the cruise market has Japdeva devising a project to transform the Hernán Garrón cargo terminal into a cruise port with a marina and commercial areas, to provide the best services to visitors. It is currently in the feasibility study phase
These are businesses that Japdeva is betting on after losing about 80% of its business with the entry into APM Terminals with the exclusive handling of containerized cargo.
