This Saturday, the Hernán Garrón terminal in Japdeva, in Limón, received the largest cruise ship in its history, along with another large vessel. They brought 5,757 passengers and 2,650 crew.
The biggest one is called Norwegian Joy, from Panama. It arrived at around 7:00 a.m. in Limón and set sail for Roatán, Honduras, at 4:00 p.m. The second vessel is the Island Princess, which will go to the Caribbean island of Grand Cayman.
The community, the staff of the Board, 85 Limonense artisans, six local receptive companies and more than 200 transport vehicles received this nautical giant.
Tourists were expected to travel the surrounding area for 12 hours, which contributes to the economic recovery of Limón. The best selling tour was the one that goes to the Tortuguero canals.
According to Andrea Centeno, Executive President of Japdeva, the promotion of the arrival of cruise ships will be one of the main activities in the new business vision of the institution.
Today and thanks to the facilities we have, we have been able to be the gateway to Limón for almost 200 thousand cruise passengers per year. With the improvement and future specialization of the Terminal, the impact on development may be greater, increasing the added value and allowing more micro, small and medium-sized companies to be linked to this industry, generating greater employment opportunities and turning Limón into a strong destination brand for cruise passengers,”
said Centeno.
For the 2019-2020 season, which began last September and will last for up to six months, it is expected to receive 112 vessels, 224 thousand cruise passengers and more than 90 thousand crew members. To date, eight vessels have already arrived in Puerto Limón.
According to the 2018 Economic Impact Study conducted by the economic and research consultancy BREA for the Florida and Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) in the category of excursions sold on board, of the 36 destinations, Costa Rica ranked first in both market penetration and sales.