CEO of Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association recognizes Governor Rubén Rocha’s interest in bringing the convention and promoting tourism activity
MAZATLAN.- To the rhythm of a drum, as only Sinaloans know how to do, the Annual Convention of the Florida and Caribbean Cruise Association was inaugurated, for the first time in Mazatlán.
Although the meetings began on Monday with an icebreaker party, it was not until this Wednesday that the Governor of the State of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya, together with directors of the FCCA, which brings together the most important shipping companies on the entire continent, businessmen in the sector, the governor of Sonora, Alfonso Durazo, and mayors of the Magical and Stately towns of Sinaloa, held the opening ceremony.
Michele M. Paige, CEO of the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association, in her speech, commented that, as Governor-elect, Rubén Rocha Moya held a meeting with her to learn everything about the cruise industry and to inform her of said FCCA Annual Convention, showed interest in having this take place in Mazatlán.
“You have made it possible, every day we continue to get closer and more successful, and from my heart I express my gratitude to the cruise executives, we know what they have done to be able to be here and it shows the commitment of the cruises to be capable of growing.”
Paige recalled that in 2010 Mazatlán had half a million tourist cruise passengers and in the blink of an eye everything was gone due to insecurity problems.
“We put a lot of care into the concern of you, of the industry, that is, to really improve security, if I tell you, leave Mazatlán and go to El Rosario or go to El Quelite or go to La Noria or go to El Fuerte, etc. “It is because we have guaranteed security, we have improved in a very, very important way in security for tourism.”
The advantage of Mazatlán over other Pacific destinations, he said, is that, in addition to beaches, it has a Historical Center and cultural activities, which has allowed it to go from 127 cruise ships and 433 thousand visitors in 2018 to 141 cruise ships with more than 570 thousand visitors in 2022.
She added that, according to the trend, this year they managed to exceed 600 thousand visitors, something that makes them proud, sharing the route with the same cruise ships with the neighboring ports of the Gulf of California, Baja California Sur, Sonora and Baja California. And the commitment is to be able to develop tourism of great quality and warmth.
The governor highlighted the presence of the assistants of congressmen from Canada, Jamaica, the United States, Italy, Argentina, Costa Rica, Saint Martin, Saint Lucia, Grand Cayman, Barbados, Virgin Islands, British Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic , Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama; pavilions of Chiapas, Huatulco and Acapulco.
He specified that thanks to the security strategies that have been implemented, crime rates have significantly decreased throughout the entity, and in passing he called for a local cruise in the Gulf of California and proposed that the FCCA now is called the Florida, Caribbean and Gulf of California Cruise Association.
The welcoming words were given by the mayor of Mazatlán, Édgar González Zatarain, who assured all attendees that they arrived in a land of happy men and women, but above all workers of great effort, dedication and drive.
“Tourism has been resumed as one of the main vocations, today, in Mazatlán there is diversity: fishing, very strong in terms of tuna, shrimp; agriculture, industry, but tourism is something that has been giving the destination that international recognition that little by little is being polished,” he highlighted.
González Zataráin recalled that the first cruise ship to reach this destination was in 1968 and since then a journey of promoting tourism on cruise ships began constantly week after week and this year there is an average of about 150 bracelets, which is the tourist the impulse to disseminate what Mazatlán means.
Meanwhile, the CEO of Carnival Corporation, Josh Weinstein, commented that this is an industry of excellence which is estimated to generate a large economic benefit of 15 million dollars in 2024, where it is estimated that there will be 9.1 million cruise passengers, of which 7.4 million will travel through the Caribbean Cruise Association.
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He indicated that the more cruise ships visit the ports, the greater their momentum, since the average expense per person is 70 dollars, to which is added the average expense of the crew, which is up to 40 dollars. “It is an honor to be received by the leaders and partners of this industry, thank you for your association with us and promoting cruises,” he said.
Over the years, interest in Mazatlán has increased, travelers have come to admire the beauty of the place and its people, as well as its gastronomy and beach, since Mexico is truly unique, with the economic benefit being an impact that follows after the cruise departs.
Source: Punto
