The cruise arrival season began on August 23rd. Since then, the Costa Rican coasts have received 203 vessels with 354 thousand tourists.
According to the government, these figures represent 9.2% more cruises compared to the previous season.
In the next four months, the arrival of another 46 cruises is expected at the five main ports of the country: Limón, Caldera, Quepos, Golfito, and Puntarenas. The latter will be the docking place of the last ship of the season, Queen Elizabeth, on July 13th.
The first cruise of this season was the Sea Princess that arrived with 1,870 passengers at the terminal Hernán Garrón Salazar de Japdeva in Limón, from Key West, United States.
Data from the Costa Rican Tourism Institute indicate that each cruise passenger spends an average of $137 per day.
The growth of this season in the arrival of cruise ships further shows the challenges that lie ahead in terms of port infrastructure, arrival centers for cruise passengers, increased visitation to docking ports and higher average spending on the coasts of the country, among others,”
said Minister of Tourism María Amalia Revelo.
In 2019, Costa Rica will host the V Central America Cruise Summit , where the Costa Rican industry will have the opportunity to hold bilateral meetings and workshops with senior decision makers.