Hurtigruten’s MS Fram arrival to Bahia Solano has signaled the beginning of the 2022-2023 cruise season for the Colombian Pacific region, according to a press release.
The MS Fram docked at Bahia Solano this week for the first time since 2019, and cruise ships from Silversea Cruises, Noble Caledonia, Hapag Lloyd, and Scenic Cruises are expected to arrive in the Colombian Pacific region this season, with over 200,000 passengers onboard. This represents a 135% recovery of the country’s calls for the 2021-2022 season, according to ProColombia.
“Currently, Cartagena is the leading destination in terms of calls, however, in the 4,171 kilometers of coastline of the country, we have a wide range of emerging destinations with the capacity to position themselves even more in the expedition segment, among them Bahía Solano, Buenaventura, Utría, Gorgona and Cabo de la Vela,” said Germán Umaña, minister of trade, industry and tourism.
There will be a total of 214 calls from at least 26 lines to the main Pacific and Caribbean ports, reactivating destinations such as San Andres and Providencia, which will receive the first calls following the passage of Hurricane Iota, which impacted the archipelago’s coasts in November 2020. The number of passengers projected by Colombia for the 2022-2023 season represents a 221 percent increase over the previous year’s figures.
“Cruise passengers arriving in the country generate commercial dynamics that favor the local communities, leaving significant income and generating efficiency and sustainability for the industry”, said Gilberto Salcedo, Tourism Vice President of ProColombia, the agency part of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism, in charge of promoting Colombia’s international tourism.
ProColombia has partnered with the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Tourism and developed a strategy to promote new cruise destinations in the country. On that note, Lindblad Expedition will launch an itinerary in October that includes Sapzurro, Capurganá, and other destinations in the Gulf of Morrosquillo for the first time, while more cruise lines are showing interest in Cabo de la Vela, La Guajira.
“This is one of the most important initiatives for our tourism sector, as it is aligned with the recovery of the navigability of our main river artery. In addition, this project perfectly matches our strategy towards preserving the ecosystem, protecting the local communities and supports our mission to position Colombia as a world power of life,” concluded Salcedo.
