Cruise tourism may not return to Quintana Roo until 2021

The state already has protocols for visitors and crew, waiting to authorize the return of the cruise ships.

The Sedetur already has the protocols ready for the return of cruise tourism to Quintana Roo, however, they are waiting for the green light to be given, although it is possible that this will not happen until 2021.

Like the lodging centers, on the cruises that arrive at Cozumel and Mahahual, the temperature control, health questionnaires, disinfections, physical distancing, and constant ventilation should be monitored, as well as the use of face mask in specific areas of the cruise and on land.

In Quintana Roo, the development of the protocols is carried out with the health authorities, as has happened with the measures used in taxis, the nautical industry, conventions, and for companies in the tourism sector.

Marisol Vanegas Pérez, Secretary of Tourism of Quintana Roo, explained that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States seeks to extend the reactivation until 2021, something that is generating a discussion since the local economy requires these arrivals to be resumed as soon as possible.

In the first three months of the year, Quintana Roo reported the arrival of 1.8 million cruise passengers, of which 1.3 million were visitors and the rest were crew members. The cancellation began in mid-March, so the impact on this market segment is high as it cannot be reactivated together with the tourism industry that started last June.

Of the total number of travelers in floating hotels that arrived, 1.2 million got off the boat in Cozumel, while 600,432 arrived in Mahahual.