Cartagena‘s tourism industry was braced for rough waters during the holiday season as excessive rains reduced travel in the country, but the arrival of several thousand tourists in the last weekend of the winter holidays has saved the season.
The bad weather kept city-dwellers from vacationing in Cartagena for most of December, a fact noted by the decrease in hotel reservations during the traditionally busy season.
The Tourism Corporation of Cartagena de Indias credited the improvement in holiday traffic to cruise ships, which started arriving to the picturesque port city in October 2010.
”The numbers get better every season, increasing our commitment to work with the cruise companies and the thousands of visitors,” said chief executive of Indias Luis Ernesto Araujo Rumie told newspaper El Heraldo.
So far, 82 of the 210 cruise ships scheduled to arrive this season have docked in Cartagena. As they stop to enjoy Cartagena’s romantic atmosphere and buzzing cultural and social scene, they will bring the city an estimated $14 million.