MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Punta Arenas: coordinated cruise promotion.

Two Chilean government institutions linked to the promotion of trade and tourism signed a working protocol this week, in Punta Arenas with Surcruise, a private entity started in 1998 which coordinates the cruise tourist industry in regional ports. The working protocol with ProChile and Sernatur is intended to promote and develop the "macro region" of Patagonia and Antarctica as a privileged destination for the growing cruise tourist trade. Surcruise includes the ports of Montevideo, Buenos Aires, Ushuaia, Punta Arenas, Puerto Montt and Chacabuco. This year's season assessment and Directors annual meeting was held in Punta Arenas. "Our meeting this year not only underlined the explosive growth of the cruise industry, but emphasized the importance of developing ports and surrounding cities as tourist attractions", said Surcruise president Ricardo Del Valle from Buenos Aires. According to Surcruise, cruise trade in the "macro region" grew at a steady 30% in 98/99 and 99/00, but jumped 39% in 2000/01. "This last season Buenos Aires received 80.000 cruise visitors, and another 30.000 crew members, which is a very significant number for any port", said Mr. Del Valle.

Reimbursements for Patagonia

Patagonian legislators are lobbying strongly for the approval this week of a bill that would extend Patagonian ports fisheries export reimbursements to Argentine fishing vessels that freeze and process produce in the high seas. Argentina grants export reimbursements, starting at 12% in Ushuaia and gradually decreasing to 4% while moving north, to fisheries exports processed and industrialized in Patagonian ports. Fisheries annual exports of the region are estimated in 400 million US dollars. However the Santa Cruz legislators face a strong opposition from the fish industry lobby in Mar del Plata and Bahía Blanca, and their Congressmen, who fear a loss of competitiveness and possibly having to share scarce public funds. "It's not the same exporting a ton of fish produce from Patagonia than form Mar del Plata or any port in the Buenos Aires province", argues Rafael Flores Federal Deputy for the province of Santa Cruz. "Besides we have a lot of shrimp which needs to be processed in the hig