Viking Octantis caps Buenos Aires cruise season

The expedition ship was carrying 181 passengers and had entered Argentina through the Port of Ushuaia. Authorities from the Ministry of Transportation and the General Ports Administration presented a plaque to Viking Octantis Capt. Joergen Cardesting.

More than 20,000 passengers at three ports

Over 20,000 passengers visited Argentina on more than 200 calls at Buenos Aires, Puerto Madryn and Ushuaia collectively as the country resumed cruise operations after the pandemic shutdown.

The first ship back in Buenos Aires was Atlas Ocean Voyages' World Navigator on Nov. 12.

Planning, coordination and incentives

'It was a great effort, in an activity that requires a lot of planning and foresight, to be able to reactivate cruise tourism in our country,' said José Beni, comptroller of the General Ports Administration. Coordinating with [Transportation] Minister [Alexis] Guerrera, we managed to articulate with officials from the provinces to carry out a scheme that allowed tourists to enjoy everything Argentina has to offer.'

For his part, Guerrera said the arrival of the season's last cruise ship crowned a summer that was key to boosting the country's tourism sector. This required coordination among various ministries to guarantee a 'key activity' in Argentina's pandemic recovery.

'The work carried out by the Ministry of Transportation through the different agencies was central so that the arrival of foreign tourists continues and the gears of trade, entrepreneurship and job creation in various regional economies are invigorated,' he said.

The Transportation Ministry through the General Ports Administration also provided incentives for cruise ships to call.