Cozumel welcomes first cruise ship in 15 months

The Mexican resort of Cozumel has welcomed the first arrival of a cruise ship carrying passengers since the coronavirus pandemic essentially collapsed the industry.

Officials in the Caribbean coast state of Quintana Roo on Wednesday welcomed Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas to the world’s busiest stopover for cruise ships.

The cruise line requires all passengers 16 and over to be fully vaccinated. But Gov. Carlos Joaquin said about 5% of the passengers aboard — largely youths or those with chronic health conditions — haven’t been vaccinated. State health officials were on hand to oversee the arrival.

Marisol Vanegas Pérez, Secretary of Tourism of Quintana Roo, assured that the arrival of the first cruise ship to Cozumel, after just over a year, generates enthusiasm among the sector, as this will drive the economic reactivation of the state and the generation of thousands of jobs on the insula.

The official recalled that, in 2019, the cruise industry in Quintana Roo mobilized around six million tourists, both in Cozumel and in Mahahual.

Until before the start of the pandemic at the end of March, the island of swallows had received 1,131,600 visitors.

Source: El Financiero