"The gradual reactivation of this segment has been carried out under strict sanitary protocols, allowing economic reactivation on the coasts of our country," said Gustavo Alvarado, ICT Director of Tourism Management
The cruise ship MS Queen Elizabeth, of the shipping company Carnival Corporation & Plc, anchored this Monday morning in Puntarenas with 1,307 passengers and 913 crew members and its arrival marks the end of the 2021-2022 cruise season in that port of the country.
The ship arrived from Aruba, crossing the Panama Canal, and will be in "El Puerto" for eight hours for passengers to visit tourist attractions such as Aranjuez, in Puntarenas; Monteverde, Jacó, Esparza, Sarchí, La Guácima and Naranjo, thus activating the work of tour guides, artisans, as well as gastronomy, transportation, among other activities linked to the sector.
“The reopening of the cruise tourism season, which began on September 2, 2021, after 17 months of closure due to a pandemic, concludes today in Puntarenas with the arrival of the MS Queen Elizabeth with the arrival of more than 80 ships in the Pacific coast and more than 30,000 cruise passengers. The gradual reactivation of this segment has been carried out under strict sanitary protocols, allowing economic reactivation on the coasts of our country. said Gustavo Alvarado, ICT Director of Tourism Management
Widman Cruz, executive president of INCOP, highlighted that “without a doubt, the Pacific ports started this cruise season quite strongly, despite the harsh pandemic that severely affected the cruise industry for more than 17 months with the closure of the borders to maritime tourism. He added that "an organized team and a solid marketing strategy between the Puntarenas Tourism Board and the ICT have been key to positioning this destination within the agenda of cruise tourists."
The MS Queen Elizabeth is one of the Panamax ships, that is, designed to fit the maximum dimensions allowed for transit through the old locks of the Panama Canal and was built at the Fincantieri plant in Monfalcone, Italy.
Este buque fue bautizado por la Reina Isabel II en la ciudad inglesa de Southampton, el 11 de octubre de 2010, un día antes de zarpar a su viaje inaugural rumbo a las Islas Canarias.
Su eslora mide 294 metros y la manga de 32,2 metros, pesa 92 000 toneladas, cuenta con ascensores, lavandería, salón de belleza, gimnasio, biblioteca, tiendas, piscinas exteriores, teatro, jacuzzi, spa, bares, casino, discoteca, restaurantes, cine, sala de juegos y de exposiciones.
MS Queen Elizabeth forma parte de la línea de cruceros inglesa Cunard, propiedad de Carnival Corporation & Plc, una compañía global de cruceros en la que, anualmente, más de un millón de pasajeros pasan sus vacaciones por más de 200 destinos en los cinco continentes.
Its market is mainly aimed at European and US citizens over 55 years of age, with an average spending of US $70 per day each.
This cruise makes its complete itinerary of 43 nights departing from England, traveling through the Caribbean, crossing the Panama Canal, Costa Rica, Mexico, the United States and ending in Vancouver, Canada.
Activation of chains
The Tourism Promotion Board and the Puntarenas Chamber of Tourism have developed a quite attractive entertainment agenda for receiving cruise ships, activities that have been of great satisfaction to tourists and that in turn have brought reactivation to the local economy, with the hiring of artists, dancers, musicians, food services, entertainment and others; all from the central canton of Puntarenas.
The visit of this vessel to Puntarenas allows the contracting of tourist services such as certified guides, land and sea carriers, entrance to national parks and tourist destinations, providers of adventure, cultural and recreational tourism services. Souvenir shops, restaurants and cafes, port agent, customs agency are also involved among them.
As a primary requirement to embark, the shipping company requests that all its passengers and crew have the complete vaccination schedule and with a reasonable time of 14 days from its application before entering the cruise.
Apart from the biosafety protocol on board, the Costa Rican companies have committed to complying with and ensuring that the local protocols established for each operation and that of all the actors involved in the care of the ship are applied, including the ships that do not carry out their journeys with their maximum capacity as prevention.