Guatemala Hopes to Receive 42 Cruises in 2005-2006

Guatemala´s travel industry is anticipating a 2005-2006 cruise season with at least some 42 arrivals on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, up a double-digit increase from the previous season when 38 liners docked in with 50,393 passengers onboard.

The decline sustained by the local cruise sector last year stemmed in part from a travel warning issued by U.S. authorities based on reports of rampant crime and insecurity in the Central American country. As a result of this action, three cruises called off their voyages to Guatemala.

Nonetheless, the Association of Tour Operators is confident the oncoming cruise season –from October 2005 to May 2006- could reverse that negative image.

Turismo Actual, a local company in charge of improving cruise infrastructure in Guatemala, said the 2003-2004 season brought 41 ships with 51,800 passengers onboard. “Now the goal is to outnumber those outcomes,” they beam.