MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Punta Arenas cruise season: 29% increase in the number of visitors landings
Almost 30% more cruise visitors landed in Punta Arenas, extreme south of Chile, during the current 2015/16 season which is coming to an end. According to Chile's maritime migration officers, 109.746 cruise passengers and crew members were recorded, which represents a 29% compared to the previous season. The primary report was released by La Prensa Austral. Read full article
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Disclaimer & comment rulesHow does this compare to Cruise traffic to Ushaia?
Apr 13th, 2016 - 12:55 am - Link - Report abuse 0Is that growing too, or are they losing business to Chilean ports?
This is not an either-or proposition, since many of the ships are making calls at both Ushuaia and at Punta Arenas. A very small number of the smaller ships are also calling at Puerto Natales. Larger cruise ships cannot put in to Puerto Natales because of the limitations imposed by geography and the Chilean Navy, since the two narrows (Kirke and White) are very narrow and dangerous.
Apr 13th, 2016 - 01:06 am - Link - Report abuse 0A couple of years ago one of the Chilean ferries sank after hitting rocks while trying to pass through the Kirke Narrows. That ship was later refloated and partially patched but it could not be safely taken to Punta Arenas for scrapping and so it was towed to deep water and scuttled.
@2
Apr 13th, 2016 - 02:49 am - Link - Report abuse 0Thanks, Marti.
Good to see business is growing, though.
Speaking of Ushuaia, it's a mess there right now. One of the government employees unions was not quite in agreement with some of the new retirement programme features and they have been making themselves a nuisance for about a month now.
Apr 13th, 2016 - 04:44 am - Link - Report abuse 0So what does a good Argento gremio do when they have such a disagreement? Why, they try to make everyone else's lives impossible. And attacking the two local radio stations just for good measure. Not long ago these folks set up barricades so that the fuel tank trucks can't get into the fuel depot and distribute gasoline and other fuels to the stations not only around Ushuaia but a ways north as well, in this case up in Tolhuin where the YPF station is empty. In fact all the YPF stations on the island rely on the fuel distribution point in Ushuaia.
And not only are these peeved government workers keeping the fuel from being delivered, but Ushuaia is sort of crammed on a narrow shelf between the steep parts and the water, so it doesn't take much to set up a couple of barricades and cut the town in half and basically cut the main road leading into town. And the pickets have been taking it out on the local media with the predictable sort of vandalism, which is always a good way to win sympathy.
Now, argie truckers don't suffer such fools gladly, and these government workers have pretty much lost the sympathy of the populace. The truckers are essentially independent contractors and they don't get paid if they don't drive, so their motivation for a melee is self-evident. And the municipal government saw no reason to send police to get in the way of a good head-bashing where it was due. So the truckers sent a few dozen (estimates vary, might be up to 100 or so) and beat the bejeezus out of many of the pickets, who attempted to respond in kind. Anyway, the body count is not yet in but we understand that the Ushuaia hospital is dealing with its share of head injuries and other blunt force trauma.
Punta Arenas is a brilliant place, love it. Puerto Natales is a great place too, the gateway to Torres del Paine the most awesome spot in SA and a great place for challenging climbing. Ushuaia is a dump which is a pity because there is some nice unspoilt national park nearby. Cruise passengers should avoid Ushuaia because of the rabid mobs of tyre burning knuckleheads and other scroungers identified by Marti above.
Apr 13th, 2016 - 07:42 am - Link - Report abuse 0@4 Marti
Apr 13th, 2016 - 11:11 am - Link - Report abuse 0That is a troubling and depressing story about Ushaia.
I have seen the same sort of behavior on Lewis Jones in Trelew. Same all over, barricades and chanting mobs. Uncivilised yobs.
Apr 13th, 2016 - 01:11 pm - Link - Report abuse 0USHUAIA: There is some news video that doesn't get close enough to the head-bashing but reflects the tone of the recent violent confrontation and barricades in Ushuaia. The “official” body count seems to be three people in hospital with head wounds but evidently there are more with other injuries.
Apr 13th, 2016 - 01:59 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Try the video here
http://www.ushuaia24.com.ar/despachos.asp?cod_des=16504&ID_Seccion=302
We may be seeing some more violence of this order soon since the governor has evidently ordered some clearing of the demonstrators' handiwork.
Part of what is behind this is of course the province is out of money and had to make adjustments to the retirement benefits. Those benefits in Tierra del Fuego are nearly Greek in their lavishness and of course the product of fiscally unsound Kirchnerism: government employees can retire with benefits at age 50. So Kirchnerism's chickens are coming home to roost.
Argentina's other national sport ?
Apr 13th, 2016 - 04:17 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Punta Arenas deserves and needs a REAL port, instead of just jetties!
Apr 13th, 2016 - 05:20 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Philippe
@10 “Punta Arenas deserves and needs a REAL port, instead of just jetties!”
Apr 13th, 2016 - 06:42 pm - Link - Report abuse 0That would take REAL money and REAL planning and REAL work and I REALLY don't think that is going to happen. It's all they can do to keep most of the roads in the city decently paved, and to keep the damned river (Río de las Minas) from spilling over and flooding again. There are still mud-marks on the buildings where it flooded a few years ago.
On the other hand it is much more pleasant than Río Gallegos and we will probably move back there quite soon.
Good to see a Chelsea fan in amongst it
Apr 14th, 2016 - 06:06 am - Link - Report abuse 0Report today that during the 2015-16 season, cruise ship visitors to Punta Arenas spent an estimated 3.6 billion CLP. Which I think is about US$5.3 million. Not bad for a small town selling rubber tomahawks to the tourists.
Apr 17th, 2016 - 02:26 am - Link - Report abuse 0Commenting for this story is now closed.
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