The 2022-2023 cruise season in Uruguay is already the one in which the most cruise ships have arrived in the last eight years: 160 ships have arrived – 116 in Montevideo and 44 in Punta del Este – and 44 are still expected.
This was stated by the Interim Minister of Tourism, Remo Monzeglio, in an interview.
He stressed that these numbers were a “pleasant surprise” because cruise tourism had been one of the hardest-hit sectors with the pandemic outbreak, and experts had expected it to take longer to recover.
“As soon as activity resumed, the sector made an effort to recover its tourists, and, in turn, there was a great response from cruise passengers to travel again,” Monzeglio explained.
In addition to the usual Argentine and Brazilian visitors, the Ministry noted increased tourists from Mexico, the United States, and Europe.
“The arrivals from outside the region make us happy because the cruise passengers are ambassadors of the country; they are our multipliers through the photos and videos they share,” affirmed the minister.
On March 25, Monzeglio will attend the international fair “Seatrade Cruise Global”, where the cruise destinations of different countries will be decided and which will be held in Florida (United States) from March 27 to 30.
“We are going there with three objectives: to consolidate the numbers of this season, to expand them, and to include a third cruise destination in Uruguay, which will be located in the department (province) of Colonia de Sacramento (southwest of the country).”
The idea of the Ministry and the Uruguayan port and cruise sector is that by December 2023, there will be a trial cruise ship to this destination and that there will be a “big party” to inaugurate Colonia de Sacramento as a new destination for cruise ships.