MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Punta Arenas encouraged with cruise season prospects

A significant increase in the cruise vessel traffic this coming season, 2005/06, is expected in Punta Arenas with the number of calls growing 34,7% and passengers 27,8%, said Eduardo Manzanares head of the Empresa Portuaria Austral which manages the local port.

The increase in passengers is split among those arriving in international cruises, 9,600, and those enjoying two Chilean flagged cruise vessels which are almost doubling last season's domestic traffic.

The two Chilean cruises operating from Punta Arenas are "Via Australis" which has scheduled 23 calls and 2,737 passengers' traffic; plus "Antarctic Dream", with seven calls and 530 passengers, totalling 30 calls and 3,200 passengers, equivalent to an 88% increase over last season.

International cruise traffic will be boosted by two calls from Cunard's "Queen Mary II" with over 4,000 visitors; Rotterdam replacing Amsterdam with eight calls; Regal Princess from P&P Cruises Lines with four calls.

Mr. Manzanares said traffic from these three cruise vessels is expected to reach 9,700 passengers.

By the way, Royal Princess will also be operating this coming season but under the name of Artemis.

"Magellan Strait and the surrounding area has become a consolidated hot tourist attraction in United States, which was confirmed in this year's edition of Seatrade, and so have prospects for quite some time", highlighted Mr. Manzanares.