Less than a month for the beginning of the official cruise season 2010/11, prospects for Punta Arenas in the extreme south of Chile are not at all encouraging with an anticipated activity contraction of 33% over last year, according to the Empresa Portuaria Austral, EPA, which manages local port activities.
A Uruguayan cruise industry expert has brought up an interesting debate about the whole business for South America if Chilean port and auxiliary services costs remain so high that they end convincing some of the cruise companies to drop the traditional Pacific and Chilean leg of the tours.