The expedition ship Sylvia Earle docked at the Puntarenas Cruise Dock. This boat will explore the Pacific coast for 4 days and will tour Curú, Quepos, Bahía Drake and Golfito. The luxury cruise embarked 74 passengers who entered by air and stands out for the tribute paid to Sylvia Earle, oceanographer, explorer and conservationist, distinguished as a pioneer in deep-water exploration and champion of ocean conservation.
In addition, it stands out for having the latest in navigation technology, zodiac platforms for efficient energy charging, as well as its inverted bow design to cut through the waves with less vibration, generating faster transit and therefore lower fuel consumption. fuel. It has observation platforms, modern common areas, sustainable environmental protection credentials and an educational and conservationist approach to the experience of its cruise passengers. Its construction cost is valued at $65 million dollars, it is 104 meters long (length) and weighs 7,900 tons and its high-purchasing visitors come from the United States, Argentina, Canada, Italy, England, Ireland, New Zealand. , Peru, South Africa, Germany, Mexico, Spain.
This state-of-the-art ship will be joined by the expedition cruise ships MS Roald Amundsen (141 passengers) and Borealis (822 passengers), which will arrive at the ports of Golfito and Caldera, on Monday, April 24 and Wednesday, April 26, respectively, and will visit attractions the Pacific coast of the country. The MS Roald Amundsen cruise ship is a hybrid-electric vessel also designed under a sustainable approach to reduce biofuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, as well as the prohibition of single-use plastic when providing its services to sailors. For its part, the Norwegian ship Borealis, from the Fred Olsen Cruises line, is characterized by its ability to navigate at higher speeds and is considered "a non-stop cruise".
According to data from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute, the 2022-2023 cruise season, counted from November to February, a total of 217 expedition cruises, increasing this type of expedition and luxury vessels by 142 in the same previous period. The characteristics of this type of expedition trips include exploring destinations with unique natural settings aboard modern boats, equipped with all the necessary equipment. These are itineraries of unique wildlife observation experiences, unforgettable adventure experiences and cultural approaches, both on land and at sea with travelers with high purchasing power.
“We celebrate the arrival of these three expedition and luxury cruise ships that are visiting our country for the first time. Its passengers will be able to enjoy our natural beauties and also have more direct contact with our destination since they spend more days in Costa Rica, economically benefiting the Pacific and Caribbean coastal areas,” said Gustavo Alvarado, Director of Tourism Management. of the ICT.
Green turtle and three-toed sloth will travel on cruises
Precisely, some of the passengers of the Sylvia Earle expedition cruise voluntarily received the new "souvenir stamp" of the country brand Essential Costa Rica, created so that cruise passengers receive a souvenir of Costa Rican fauna during their visit to the country and while passing through. , contributes to the positioning of our country as a sustainable destination.
This initiative had the collaboration of the Foreign Trade Promoter (PROCOMER) and the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT). The application of the stamp will be carried out with the endorsement of the visitors and the image of a green turtle will be stamped on cruise passengers arriving from the Pacific and a three-fingered sloth on those who disembark in the Caribbean. It should be noted that the stamps will not be applied to the official passports of visitors.
“This project fills us with pride, since the essence of Costa Rica will be reflected in the documents of cruise passengers as a special memory of their visit to the country. In addition, we are showing the world, through these tourists, that Costa Rica is a country with a solid model oriented towards sustainability, where biodiversity plays a very important role, which we must take advantage of to continue positioning the country in international markets. ”, affirmed Adriana Acosta, director of Marketing, Communication and Country Brand of PROCOMER.
According to PROCOMER, during the design process, the Esencial Costa Rica team analyzed references and trends from international labels. Likewise, other species such as the hammerhead shark, octopus, howler monkey, puma, humpback whale, dolphins, tapir, green frog, green macaw, manatee, crocodile, among other animals that inhabit both coasts, were considered.