Mazatlán, Sinaloa. – Given the prohibition of the US government to its citizens from traveling on tourist cruises due to the coronavirus pandemic, the main cruise line companies that maintain their routes to Mexico, have decided to suspend activities for periods ranging from four to eight weeks.
Sinaloa State Secretary of Economy, Javier Lizárraga Mercado, announced that the economic losses will be significant for Mazatlán, with the cancellation of events, congresses and conventions, but especially with the cruise ships arrival suspension.
He admitted that the cruise industry pause impacts Mazatlan immediately, due to the economic spill that visitors leave in this port, everytime a ship docks. The average spending per tourist is 70 US dollars, during their stay in Mazatlán. Three ships were scheduled for arrival on Tuesday, March 16th.
He expressed that for this 2020 156 cruises with more than 500 thousand passengers are scheduled, of which 32 have arrived with 106 thousand occupants, so if the rest of the season, there would be a loss in economic spill of 28 million US dollars.
“This is the scenario, asuming that 400 thousand tourists will not be arriving in Mazatlan (if the rest of the season is canceled), at $70 USD per person, we’re talkng about 28 million dollars”, said Javier Lizárraga Mercado.
According to the Mazatlán Comprehensive Port Administration, 27 tourist boats are scheduled from March 12 to May 10, which are those that, most likely, will not be arriving, according to the projection.
These companies have already announced this measure, which includes routes through the Caribbean and the Mexican Pacific, with Mazatlán being one of the affected ports.
The Princess Cruises tourist cruise line suspended its operations during the period from March 12 to May 10, Royal Caribbean Cruises and its subsidiaries Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara and Silversea Cruises for 30 days; Norwegian Cruise Lines, which suspended theirs until April 12.
As for the Princess Cruises company, the second largest in the world, they have announced the suspension for 60 days of all their cruises, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Mazatlan Post
