Uruguay is expecting 202 cruise ship calls in season 2019-2020, which is 30% increase over season 2018-2019. Port Montevideo has become an exchange cruise port for incoming and outgoing passengers, given its good connectivity and services, announced the country's Tourism minister Liliam Kechichian during the launching ceremony of the current season.
Of the announced calls, a total of 134 will be in the port of Montevideo and 68 in the seaside resort of Punta del Este. On the official launching ceremony day, Viking Sun (Viking Ocean Cruises) with 879 passengers on board docked early morning in Port Montevideo, and in the evening hours left for Puerto Madryn.
According to Minister Kechichian, in the previous season, Uruguay had received a 4.3% soft increase in the number of cruise ship visits, split 55% and 45% between the ports of Montevideo and Punta del Este. The total number of landing cruise passengers was nearly 256.000, with an estimated impact of US$9.6 million for the local economy.
The minister added that according to ministry satisfaction surveys of cruiser landings, what guests had most liked was "the warmth and good spirits of locals" in Montevideo. In Punta del Este they had been impacted by the scenery and beaches. A majority percentage of passengers landing in Uruguay had been from Brazil.
It is anticipated that for the 2020-2021 cruise season, travelers will have a fully equipped terminal, currently housing the Tourism ministry. The ministry is moving a few blocks away to a 4-story building that once served as Lloyd's Bank main offices.