Manta seeks to ensure that its tourism businesses are qualified to receive cruise passengers – 2024-03-28 05:09:58

2024-03-28 05:09:58

Manta aims to ensure that its tourism businesses can receive visitors who arrive on cruise ships.

To this end, since last year they have been managing, together with the Eloy Alfaro Secular University of Manabí (ULEAM), for international organizations to qualify hotels, restaurants, bars and ice cream parlors in the city as places suitable for serving cruise passengers.

Jaime Ulloa, leader of the Manta tourism sector, commented that shipping agencies and companies that transport cruise ships are very demanding and careful with the health of their passengers.

That is why in Manta, where cruise ships call, tourists can only do toursbut they do not consume drinks or food in hotels and restaurants.

“In order for them to do so, we must be qualified and we are currently in that process,” he said.

Ulloa commented that the objective is for ULEAM to inspect and rate tourism businesses. For this, the staff of the higher center must be qualified by international cruise tourism companies.

“We hope that at the beginning of next year we can be evaluated, in addition, our goal is to attend the international cruise fair to show the benefits of the city,” he said.

According to a study carried out by Manta’s tourism sector, each cruise passenger leaves between $200 and $220 in the city. This item is spent on transportation, translators, crafts, etc.

Every year an average of 20 of these ships arrive at the port. The last to arrive was the Norwegian Sun last Friday, March 1. The season starts in October and ends in July of the following year.

In this case, the city is still in the 2023-2024 season and nine cruise ships are yet to arrive. Four canceled in January due to the insecurity problem that the country was going through.

This also generates more tourists arriving, who are welcomed with a fair of artisan products, translation services and tourist packages.

Currently, tourists no longer only stay in Manta, but also visit cities such as Bahía de Caráquez, Puerto López, Portoviejo and Montecristi.

“Manta has become the gateway for international tourism for Manabí,” he said.

Cruise tourism has become a frequent activity in Manta and has an important impact, since each year between 20 and 25,000 tourists arrive in the city on these ships.