Port Company highlighted the arrival of both ships as “a milestone”, one of which will spend a night in the city.
Arica woke up to the arrival of two cruise ships. The first to dock was The World, at 5:30 in the morning, and then the Scenic Eclipse II, at 7:30 a.m. The World extended its stay in the region until tomorrow at 6 p.m., as part of its itinerary through the north of the country.
Both vessels, considered “luxury ships,” arrived at the regional terminal with nearly 400 visitors, including passengers and crew.
Eileen Reyes Salinas, Development and Sustainability Manager of the Arica Port Company (EPA), highlighted the arrival of both ships on the same day as a milestone. “We demonstrate how operational we are as a port, receiving these two cruise ships. This is an important fact for the Arica port and also for the region, since we must receive our visitors by showing the best,” she said.
Reyes, on behalf of EPA, called on the city to have the operational, commercial and tourist capacity that allows the reception of visitors. “They toured the main attractions of the region such as Codpa, the Historic Center, the wetland, Putre and Lauca Park, so we asked the Aricans to be good ambassadors and show the best of our culture.”
For his part, the general manager of EPA, Jorge Caceres, highlighted the importance of the cruise industry, promoting the development of tourism in different areas. He maintained that as a Port Company they will continue working to promote cruise ship calls, for which they are working with shipping lines and agencies.
January 19
The Development and Sustainability Manager mentioned that on January 19, there will again be two calls, this time of large ships with a greater number of passengers.
“It is important that we prepare, because tourists have to take the best of Arica and Parinacota. Arica is no longer a technical landfall but is part of the cruise route, so as a city we have to show off.”
Likewise, he highlighted the work of the cruise board, a public-private body that meets before each landfall and is organized to give a good welcome to the ships.
“It is a very efficient table, to which we thank on behalf of EPA for this joint work to achieve effective landfalls. We also highlight the operation of the Comprehensive Tourist Center where tourists can have access to Wi-Fi, since Internet on board is extremely expensive and they also have a rest area so they can enjoy the facility 100%,” he concluded.
