MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina, Chile and Uruguay plan joint presentation at Seatrade Cruise Global 2019

Seatrade Cruise Global 2019 is scheduled to take place between 8 and 11 April in cruise hub Miami.

Argentina, Chile and Uruguay will be making a joint presentation at the next Seatrade Cruise Global 2019, in Miami, as part of a joint strategy to attract more cruise tourism to the region. The announcement was done by Uruguay's ports authority, Alberto Diaz who hosted a meeting of tourism and sea terminals representatives from the three countries.

Seatrade Cruise Global 2019 is scheduled to take place between 8 and 11 April in cruise hub Miami.

Uruguay was represented by Diaz and Deputy Tourism minister Benjamin Liberoff; Chile attended with Deputy Tourism minister Monica Zalaquett and Sebastián Montero, CEO of Conosur

Ports Corporation, a private consortium which handles cruise vessels in Chile. The controller of Buenos Aires Port, Gonzalo Mortola represented Argentina.

“This is the first time the three countries, together with Brazil, will attend the Miami meeting and face cruise companies as a region, not only do we pretend to show unity but a common strategy to attract more cruises as a region and not individually”, pointed out Diaz.

The idea that the three countries plus Brazil, face cruise companies vis-a-vis as a region was first addressed in the framework of the Regional Cruise and Nautical and Fluvial tourism meeting held last October in Montevideo with the attendance of continental port authorities and tourism operators.

Diaz revealed that the joint initiatives considered to attract more tourism, and the final declaration with the suggestions was signed by the attendants and presented to their respective governments. The purpose is to ensure cruise visitors spend more time in the different countries the cruise vessels call. .

“Seatrade is a great challenge, competition increases every year, and a common joint strategy is essential” underlined Diaz, who also advanced that Uruguay and Argentina are working to develop fluvial cruise operations, with the private sector, given the abundance of navigable rivers in the River Plate basin and historic and tourist attractions.