Cruise travel between Central American countries will be possible in the future if a proposal from regional maritime transport authorities prospers. This was stated by representatives of Guatemala and Costa Rica of the Central American Maritime Transport Commission (Cocatram). The proponent for Costa Rica was Juan Ramón Rivera, executive president of the Institute of Pacific Ports (Incop).
The proposal is an option to support tourism and the chain of services such as nature, cultural, architectural and archaeological tours. The sale of souvenirs, gastronomy, transportation and lodging services, among others, would also be promoted. The tourist transport of people would be complementary to the issue of maritime transport of goods.
Support from Panama
In fact, the Panamanian representatives would support these initiatives based on the experience accumulated with the management of the Interoceanic Canal. In this way, a plan can be structured for the transfer of goods and passengers in short distances, between the countries of the region.
“Our proposal seeks to translate this initiative from paper to practice, so that we can implement it as soon as possible,” said Elvia Bustavino, secretary general of the Panama Maritime Authority.
Costa Rica is still working on the implementation of a merchandise route from Caldera to the Salvadoran port of La Unión. These intra-regional initiatives do not imply either eliminating cruise ships that come from other areas or weakening other forms of transport, said Nelson Soto, general director of the Maritime Port Division of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT).
These are alternatives to eventualities typical of the region. For example, hurricanes, storms and earthquakes could damage the road network, and prevent the movement of products by land for certain periods of time. In June, at a meeting in Panama, the meeting will continue with specific proposals for short-distance cruise tourism from each of the council’s countries.
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