The Cruise Liner Industry Benefits seminars ended successfully in Cartagena and Santa Marta

Tour guides, cab drivers, tour operators and ground tour employees, as well as DAS Immigration and Cartagena and Santa Marta Tourism Police participated in the seminars on the “Cruise Liner Industry Benefits”, which were organized by PROCOLOMBIA.

The goal of the seminars was to highlight the benefits offered by this industry, and were offered by the General Manager of Caribbean Shipping, Clive Forb; Fritz Pinnock, Executive Director of the Caribbean Maritime Institute, and Julie-Anne Burroughs, specialized marketing consultant from Onboard Marketing.

The conferences included some highlights on the cruise liner tourism industry, its trends, destination marketing, itineraries and other presentations like "El Caribe Como Region" (The Caribbean as a Region) and "Excelencia al Servicio al Cliente” (Customer Service Excellence).

The cruise liner sector in Colombia has been one of the most dynamic in the past years. According to the information issued by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism, in 2007, 99 cruise ships docked in Colombia with over 126,890 passengers; in 2008, 161 ships with 228,221 tourists; in 2009, 204 ships with 284,727,581 tourists and last year there was a record 267 cruise ships with 295,902 tourists.

The Colombian Caribbean is consolidated year after year as a destination tourists from international cruise liners can't miss, and the country is ready to receive them.

The seminars were also supported by Corporacion Turismo Cartagena de Indias, the Cartagena Port Society, the Santa Marta City Hall and tourism office, and the Santa Marta Port Society.