A meeting between Cozumel authorities and a Spanish cruise line could see the island connected with Cuba. In a press release, Cozumel mayor Juanita Alonso Marrufo said a meeting with executives of the Spanish cruise line Atlantic International Cruises SL, along with executives from the Punta Langosta maritime terminal, took place to analyze the possibility of connecting the two islands.
Marrufo said the connection would both increase and enhance tourist offerings from Cozumel. The director of Cozumel Tourism and Economic Development, Badih Sleme Flores, explained that one of the guiding axes of the municipal administration is to generate “economic environments”.
He said that the government is hoping to work in conjunction with entrepreneurs to attract a new segment of tourism to the island.
During the meeting at the Punta Langosta pier offices, Captain Gilberto Ponce, vice president of maritime and port operations of the Atlantic International Cruises SL, Henry Yaniz, executive director of the company and Punta Langosta representative Roberto Chami Lizarraga, carried out a verification tour at the port facilities.
Flores said that it is the intention of Atlantic International Cruises SL for Cozumel to be its home port of departure to the Island of Cuba. If successful, the 1,000-passenger-capacity ship would accommodate both locals and tourists who wish to sail to Cuba without the need to apply for a visa.
