MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Celebration in Ushuaia: cruise season authorized to begin on 20 October

The port of Ushuaia in a busy cruise visitors day, before the outbreak of the pandemic.

It's official, Argentina announced the opening of the 2021/2022 bi-oceanic and Antarctic cruise season next 20 October. The administrative resolution 834/2021 was published in the Official Gazette, triggering immediate satisfaction from Tierra del Fuego province whose governor contacted the Tourism and Sports minister Matías Lammens.

Tierra del Fuego governor Gustavo Melella and the head of the provincial Tourism Institute Dante Querciali held a zoon conference with minister Lammens to thank him for his efforts in having the sanitary protocols approved for the progressive opening of cruise activities in Ushuaia. The minister admitted it was not an easy job, but underlined the work and time from all those who helped in the task and even when “the sanitary situation was the priority, we also understood how important it is for the Tierra del Fuego people and their economy, the cruise industry”.

He added “thanks for your patience, confidence and support, and remember you will always have an ally in me to continue working in promoting tourism and hopefully we can reap the benefits of a successful 2021/22 cruise season”.

Governor Melella also pointed out the work deployed by the Ministry of Health Care and the Strategic Vaccination program in Tierra del Fuego with over 50% of the local population immunized and its significance “in creating a positive sanitary situation”.

“We are ready to receive cruise visitors, we will ensure compliance with the strict protocols, both from our officials and from the private sector, extensive to those landing as well as confirming that we can keep our city's sanitary condition, well protected from the virus”.

“Our people can be certain that arriving cruise visitors will comply with the protocols and all the necessary sanitary precautions will be in place and effective”, explained deputy governor Monica Urquiza. The return of the cruise vessels with the Antarctica option is great news for our tourism industry, and strategically and geopolitically for Argentina”.

Last July Ushuaia port authorities revealed they had requests for over 400 calls involving 68 cruise vessels, between October and May 2022