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Cozumel looking to become home port to reactivate island tourism

Cozumel, Q.R. — Cozumel is looking into alternatives for cruise ship tourism by reaching out to European companies. The island, which relies heavily on cruise ship tourism, has been hit especially hard with the ongoing pandemic, which has seen US cruise companies shut.

In a recent interview Radio Fórmula, island mayor Pedro Joaquín Delbouis says they cannot sit idly by waiting, emphasizing their urgency after the US cruise industry confirmed no scheduled itineraries for the first quarter of the year.

In an attempt to reactivate the industry, the municipal head has reached out to European cruise lines, in particular, Italian MSC.

“There is constant communication with the United States authorities and the Caribbean Cruise Association and there is nothing scheduled for this first quarter, so together with the Secretary of Tourism, we propose that we be a home port ,” he said.

“If they cannot leave from the United States, let them make a route to the Caribbean sailing from Cozumel. We know that supply logistics is not easy at all, and more so from an island, but it can be done. There is still no answer with the US lines, but we are in talks with the MSC, which managed an itinerary through the Caribbean without touching North American soil.”

Joaquín Delbouis said that some ideas also include cruises from Havana, Cuba and from Progreso, Yucatán. We are looking for that route to be reestablished. MSC has already reestablished operations in the Mediterranean with strict biosafety protocols which have been a success. There is hope that it can start with one or two weekly departures from here,” he remarked.