BajaNomad - Mexico Sees More Cruise Arrivals as Key to Boosting Tourism

Mexico Sees More Cruise Arrivals as Key to Boosting Tourism

BajaNews - 2-12-2011 at 11:17 PM

http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=386776&Categor...

MIAMI – Further growth in the number of cruise arrivals is essential if Mexico is to maximize its potential as a tourist destination, Tourism Secretary Gloria Guevara said.

“Tourism is a priority for Mexico. That’s why President Felipe Calderon has declared 2011 the year of tourism with an important calendar of activities,” Guevara said on Friday during a meeting of the American Association of Port Authorities.

She said the Mexican government’s commitment to tourism will be seen in a series of actions to facilitate “faster growth in the coming years” in that sector, which represents 9 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.

“The tourism industry is the country’s third-leading source of foreign currency (after oil and remittances) and there is great potential and opportunity there” in terms of Mexico’s economic growth, Guevara said.

She added that on Feb. 28 the Mexican president will sign a “national agreement or agenda for tourism” with the private sector and the unions that contains “specific and concrete actions.”

Guevara underscored the importance of the cruise sector for her country’s tourism growth and noted that, according to central bank figures, Mexico has become the world’s second-leading cruise-ship destination after the United States.

In 2010, almost 6 million cruise-ship passengers visited Mexico, an increase of 15 percent over 2009, she said.

“The important thing is that the cruise companies like Disney (Cruise Line) and Norwegian (Cruise Line) are boosting their presence even more and have increased the number of (ship) and passenger arrivals,” Guevara said.

According to the minister, 30,000 tourists arrived in Mexico aboard Disney cruise ships in 2010 and the U.S. company estimates that that figure could climb to 258,000 passengers this year.

In Guevara’s meetings with heads of some of the leading cruise associations and with port officials, she stressed her government’s commitment to making “tourism a priority” and to increasing the number of tourist arrivals.

She said the Caribbean island of Cozumel will continue to be the country’s premier cruise-ship destination with some 3 million cruise passengers annually, followed by Cabo San Lucas, located at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.

mcfez - 2-13-2011 at 06:58 AM

Having been a long time client of the El Cosumeleno Beach Resort in Cozumel .....I watched that cool scuba diving paradise turn into a circus. Frankly...I dont have a clue what these extra ships are going to do there.....the town was maximum overcrowded back in 2001.

Jacques Cousteau popularized this island back in the 1960's .....he die "again" seeing this overrun tourist trap

durrelllrobert - 2-16-2011 at 01:06 PM

two very large cruise ships came into the Ensenada harbor from the south side of Isla Todos Santos yesterday. 2 in one day is unusual and any on a Tue is very unusual. no names visible thru my telescope and couldn't identify the logo but they were both from the same line and possibly Royal Carrabian :?:

[Edited on 2-16-2011 by durrelllrobert]

krafty - 2-16-2011 at 01:35 PM

Alot of tourists from the cruises to Cozumel now take the ferry over to Playa del Carmen to go on the tours or to lunch and hang on the beach in Playa. The ferries run furiously all day

Bajahowodd - 2-16-2011 at 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by durrelllrobert
two very large cruise ships came into the Ensenada harbor from the south side of Isla Todos Santos yesterday. 2 in one day is unusual and any on a Tue is very unusual. no names visible thru my telescope and couldn't identify the logo but they were both from the same line and possibly Royal Carrabian :?:

[Edited on 2-16-2011 by durrelllrobert]

Really doubt they were Royal Caribbean ships. That line has effectively pulled out of the Mexican West Coast trade. In fact, even with the few cruises they run from the West Coast to Hawaii, given the Jones Act requirement of making a foreign port call, they are using Vancouver Canada, as opposed to Ensenada which many of their competitors do.

That said, I really think the Gloria Guevara is whistling in the dark when talking about increased passenger arrivals by Disney and Norwegian. Because not only did Royal Caribbean pull out of the market, but both Princess and Carnival have or wil be cutting back.

Brian L - 2-16-2011 at 02:44 PM

They are pulling back from the Mexican Riviera side. Caribbean side is going strong!

Bajahowodd - 2-16-2011 at 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Brian L
They are pulling back from the Mexican Riviera side. Caribbean side is going strong!

I did specifically refer to the pullback from the Mexican West Coast trade. But, what really is the Mexican Caribbean? Cozumel and Playa del Carmen?

durrelllrobert - 2-16-2011 at 06:29 PM

Quote:

[Edited on 2-16-2011 by durrelllrobert]

just received an Ensenada cruise ship calander from BN nanabird that identifies those ship in port as follows:

Queen Victoria 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Golden Princess 2:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Quenn Victoria is part of Cunard Line and this was her maiden Americas cruise with ports of call in:
Acapulco, Mexico
Bridgetown, Barbados
Castries, St Lucia
Ensenada, Mexico
Georgetown, Grand Cayman
Hamilton, Bermuda
Kralendjik, Bonaire
Oranjestad, Aruba
Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala
Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Roseau, Dominica
St. John's, Antigua
Zihuatanejo, Mexico
Basseterre, St Kitts
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas
Fuerte Amador, Panama
Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos
Huatulco, Mexico
Manzanillo, Mexico
Philipsburg, St Maarten
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Road Town, Tortola
St. George's, Grenada
Willemstad, Curacao
She will be back in Ensenada on March 1.

Golden Princess is part of Princess line and was stopping on her way back to LA from Hawaii. She is returning here on Mar 2.