Federico Anliker, president of the Autonomous Executive Port Commission (CEPA), stated that he expects 20 vessels to arrive at the country’s ports of Acajutla and La Unión, a figure that almost triples the projection announced in August by Tourism Minister Morena Valdez.

Even so, cruise ship traffic through the country is still far from matching the 195 that call at Panama and the 45 that call at Guatemala, the main destinations for these vessels in Central America.

Anliker previewed the information in a television interview on the program Frente a Frente, where he said that “this cruise season will be the largest in the country’s history.”

Cruise passengers arriving in the country mainly visit the capital’s historic center, Surf City, La Libertad, and volcanic and archaeological sites.

The cruise season begins in October and runs until June of the following year, when temperatures in Europe and North America are low.

This year, between January and May, four cruise ships arrived in the country, offering tourists short tours to places such as the Santa Ana Volcano, Cerro Verde, Joya de Cerén, San Andrés, and the historic center of San Salvador.

The cruise season has already begun in Guatemala, where 45 ships are expected, as well as in Panama, which has 195 scheduled transits through the Panama Canal.

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