Vallarta needs to take a chance with cruise ships

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Before the proposal of some local businessmen of soliciting to the federal government the re installation of a ferry service that links this port with Los Cabos in Southern Baja California, the municipal director of Tourism, Carlos Gerard Guzmán, said that this proposal is not feasible.

In an interview he said that the cruise ships are the ones that make Puerto Vallarta's economy strong, not the local travels nor the interchange of merchandise.

He said that even though the cruise ships have not recovered from the crisis of 2009, they have been transcendental for this place, "hotels, restaurants, businessmen, merchants and all the economy of Puerto Vallarta has worked to attract them, therefore a ferry would backtrack all of the efforts".

The official and consignee agent of shippers joined the protest of tour guides from the Integral Port Administration (API), who rallied on Tuesday against the possibility of evaluating the return of a ferry service between Puerto Vallarta and Los Cabos, as it was operational for some time in the early 80's.

The proposal was submitted by some entrepreneurs affiliated to Coparmex, to the Chamber of Commerce (Kanak) and Restaurateur Chamber (Canirac), even though the presidents of these chambers didn't confirm that it is an official position of these agencies, but left it as a series of coincidences set individually.

Carlos Gerard declared that there are agreements with the neighboring states, Colima, Sinaloa and Baja California that cannot be broken so casually, for they are agreed routes that would end the credibility and agreements reached through intense work and promotions.

He recognized that 2013 has been the worst year for cruise ships, "but if there was a ferry then it would be the end as a tourism destination to become a cargo destination that would also have no future".

He explained that "we cannot compete with innate cargo destinations such as Manzanillo and Mazatlán".

Furthermore, he questioned the congruence with state and federal governments in their joint effort, in all the investments and in wagering all for tourism, and the next investment for the destinies of Bahía de Banderas of 10 million dollars, that after modifying the cruise ship arrivals could very well not render the results that are expected.

The cruise ships have an agenda that is two years older, and therefore the agreements would be destroyed. Finally he said that if the ferry disappeared years ago, it was because it was not the right place for them; there are flight facilities because they are cheaper and because there is nothing to import or export, which shows itself in the marginal flow of the highway.

[readon1 url="http://vallartaopina.net/2013/06/12/vallarta-tiene-que-apostar-por-el-turismo-de-cruceros"]Source:Vallarta Opina - Translation by Rene Tripp[/readon1]