Still far away from the figure of 84 reached in 2010
From December 2, 2022 to May 16 of this year, 28 international cruise ships arrived at the pier in the Bay of Santa Cruz Huatulco, which generated an economic benefit of three million 103 thousand 900 dollars, which is equivalent to 55 million pesos.
With the arrival of the Island Princess from Puerto Vallarta, the high season for this activity ended, reported the State Government Tourism Secretariat (SECTUR).
These arrivals added up to a total of 24 thousand 44 crew members and 47 thousand 176 vacationers who remained on the beaches of this destination on the Coast for an average of eight hours, time dedicated to the consumption of local gastronomy, acquisition of handicrafts and tours, visits to places of interest, among other activities that boosted the economy of the place.
The vessels arrived at the dock in the Bay of Santa Cruz Huatulco from Mexican ports such as Manzanillo, Vallarta and Acapulco, and from ports in countries such as Guatemala, Panama, Jamaica and Costa Rica.
The luxury cruices that anchored in Oaxacan lands were Diamond Princess, Ruby Princess, Emerald Princess, Island Princess, Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Sun, Zaandam, Arcadia, Queen Victoria, Amera, Scenic Eclipse, Eurodam and Radiance of the Seas.
According to the SECTUR, they are working on strategies to strengthen cruise tourism and consolidate Huatulco as one of the main destinations for this segment.
However, for this season, the arrival of 38 boats was scheduled, according to the past administration there were 10 less than those that anchored in Oaxacan territory.
In the 2021-2022 season, 17 cruise ships arrived in Bahías de Huatulco, 11 fewer than this year.
However, there are 46 vessels less than in 2010, when this activity was important for the economy in the coastal zone.
According to official figures, the arrival of cruise ships to Oaxaca has plummeted from 2010 to date and in this 2022-2023 the figure of more than a decade ago was not reached, according to the same official statistics.
According to the diagnosis of the Ministry of Tourism on this sector, he acknowledges that this activity had also been affected in recent years by the security situation in the country.
Bahías de Huatulco represents an obligatory passage in the Mexican Pacific that in 2010 registered the arrival of 84 cruise ships, “a figure that fell away from that year, maintaining a downward trend until 2018.”
In 2019, a slight recovery was observed, which was diminished by the pandemic in 2020, when only 13 cruise ships were received in the first quarter of the year, registering a complete drop in 2021, when only one cruise ship with 95 people was received.
Source: Imparcial Oaxaca
