The cruise industry appears unfazed by the coronavirus crisis in Mexico and appears on board with plans to ramp up at the end of July or in August.
After the industry was put on pause March 15, several cruise ships that send tourists to Progreso have set dates to resume operations.
Six shipping companies bring tourists to Progreso, some of whom stay on the beach while others take excursions to Merida or any number of Mayan ruins. Last year, 470,000 tourists were brought here by cruise ships, and in the first two months of this year alone, 101,273 passengers visited Yucatan.
Carnival Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Ponant, MSC Cruises, Viking Ocean Cruises and Silversea announced the following schedule:
Carnival Cruises and Royal Caribbean resume on Aug. 1; MSC Cruises on July 31; Silversea on Aug. 22; and Viking on Aug. 31.
Cruise travel in Yucatan was on a roll before the pandemic brought things to a halt. In 2019, the Port of Progreso received 470,418 passengers on 146 cruises, an increase of 6.1 percent compared to 2018. This is equivalent to filling the Merida International Convention Center more than 47 times.
Source: yucatanexpatlife.com
