The European Cruise Company Pullmantur (PC) started its Caribbean season 2016-2017, this Monday, from the Panamanian terminal of Colon 2000, expecting to leave some 75 million dollars to the isthmus economy.
That company, with its emblem ship Monarch, took the dock located in the Atlantic entrance of the Panama Canal as starting point of its route around the region and that cruiser will be one of the 170 of its type to dock iun that port during the present campaign of sea tourism, announced authorities.
Pullmantur activity itself that expects to board some 50 thousand tourists in Colon, could represent an income of 75 million dollars for the country in souvenirs, stays, boarding and disembarking, said Augusto Terracina, manager of the Panamanian port.
In what specialized media call ‘a reestructuring’ of PC after a streak of millionaire losses due to the financial crisis in Europe, recently 51 percent of stocks of that Enterprise was bought the risk capital fund of Switzerland Springwater Capital.
As part of its new strategy, Pullmantur will increase by 30 percent its boarding in Colon, supported by the connectivity offered to their clients through the local most important airline Copa, exsecutives of the company assured reporters. ‘As for our activity in Panama we have scheduled 56 trips in 2016-2017’, said Richard Vogel, president of PC, who highlighted that Colon ‘counts with infrastructure that fit perfectly with the needs of our operation’.
The promotional offensive of the company included this time the invitation to some 200 travel agents for them to make the roujte of the Monarch, Legendary Caribbeanm, where history, culture, sun and beach combine in the sea trip through Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Costa Rica and Cartagena de Indias, in Colombia, where they arrived on Monday.
A second boat of the shipping company, the Zenith, will start in May next year to the traditional route from Colon 2000 to the islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curazao, in the Lesser Antilles, near to the coast of Venezuela, and will also stop in Cartagena.
Source: Prensa Latina by Osvaldo Rodriguez Martinez
What a tradgedy and black eye to Panama that the impression these tourists will have is of Colon being Panama. A filthy broken down impoverished crime ridden sewer. If the govt took the revenues of one week from the canal that city could sparkle. A damn shame and embarrasment.