The gradual reactivation of cruises destined for Puerto Vallarta began yesterday with the arrival of the Carnival Panorama from Long Beach, California.
Although this cruise has a capacity of 3,500 people, by international regulations the capacity was reduced to 70%, that is, to 2,450 people.
According to information from the shipping company, 98 percent of its passengers are vaccinated against the coronavirus, the rest being minors. Due to strict health protocols, prior to boarding, people are required to provide proof of vaccination, negative PCR tests and antigen tests, as well as health checks at other points along the route.
“The cruise segment is a trigger for the tourist recovery of Jalisco, that is why we celebrate that with strict sanitary protocols. The first post-COVID-19 pandemic cruise arrived in Puerto Vallarta after more than a year after they were canceled. This gradual and responsible reactivation is good news for the economy of our state,” said the head of the agency, Germán Ernesto Kotsiras Ralis Cumplido.
In the seven-day travel itinerary, it is mentioned that the Jalisco port will be the first destination that this ship visits in Mexico since it left California on Saturday, August 21, and later, it will continue its journey to Mazatlán, Sinaloa.
Interim municipal president, Jorge Antonio Quintero Alvarado, described the arrival of the cruise ship with passengers under strict sanitation measures established by the Board of Health.
“It means an economic reactivation in one of the most important sectors of Puerto Vallarta. For us it is a great joy to be able to receive this first cruise and that after this we can begin to receive more, but we do make it clear that we must continue to take care of ourselves; Yes to make it clear that many measures were marked to make this first arrival possible, from the Health Board, the negotiations with Carnival, with everyone, so that this was possible,” he explained.
During the health emergency, the Government of Jalisco, in coordination with the three levels of government, provided support to the cruise segment to repatriate passengers and crew through humanitarian bridges in Puerto Vallarta.
The Integral Port Administration (API) reported that in 2018 137 cruise ships with 360,812 passengers arrived in Puerto Vallarta, generating an estimated economic spill of approximately 651 million pesos.
In 2019 it was increased to 181 cruises with 482,335 cruise passengers. The economic benefit generated was around 870 million pesos.
In 2020, the cruises were canceled due to the pandemic and therefore, only 73 cruises were registered, with 151,359 passengers, which was the highest number that had been received in a first quarter. The economic spill is estimated at around 272 million pesos.
Puerto Vallarta is expecting one docking per week by the Panorama through September, and starting in October several ships each week .