The security actions implemented by the government have allowed El Salvador to be in the compass of the cruise industry, which moves thousands of international tourists every day. According to data from the Autonomous Executive Port Commission (CEPA), in the remainder of the year, the country will receive five cruise ships.
Federico Anliker, president of CEPA, reported that on October 23, the second cruise of the season with more than 2,000 international tourists will dock at the port of Acajutla, in Sonsonate.
«It is good that this type of cruise ship is docking in the country and (that tourists) come to leave a lot of foreign currency. Tourism stimulates the economy. According to the tourism guidelines and strategies of President Nayib Bukele, the cruise industry is important. A country that receives cruise ships is a developed country,» said Anliker.
The official added that «cruise passengers have indicated that El Salvador continues to be the safest country in Central America, which means that there are more berths in the port so that more tourists can be brought.»
The cruise season began on October 8, when the Scenic Cruise Lines docked in the country, which inaugurated this period that ends in May 2023, a period in which the arrival of 12 ships is estimated.
Likewise, Anliker indicated that traditional cruises are currently being received, that is, those where the tourist enjoys towns and archaeological sites; however, there are others who want to do more extreme tourism; «they want to know the islands of the Gulf of Fonseca and everything that leads to the port of La Unión.»
«This is a niche of tourism that did not come before, and the good thing is that they come to leave a lot of foreign currency. It’s good that this type of cruise is already docking in the country because it stimulates the economy», he stated.
The head of CEPA added that they are working on a plan to also promote the port of La Unión so that ships can dock and thus continue with the government’s strategy of boosting the national economy. «We are already positioning the eastern zone, so that tourists do not only arrive in the central and western zones,» he reaffirmed.
On the other hand, he said that they will continue to work together with the Ministry of Tourism and with the municipal governments, so that tourists can get to know the different tourist destinations in the country.
Source: El Salvador in English.
