Through his X account, the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, celebrated the arrival of the first international cruise ship to La Guajira. The vessel, from the Swiss ship company Emerald Cruises, arrived at Cabo de la Vela on the morning of Thursday, January 11.
“Cruise ships arrive in Cartagena, Santa Marta and north of La Guajira,” wrote the Colombian head of state, after the arrival of the so-called boutique cruise Emerald Azzurra to the coasts of the department of La Guajira.
The cruise ship, which docked on Guajiro soil around 8 in the morning and was carrying forty passengers, including Americans, Germans, English, and other nationalities, thus became the first vessel of its type to arrive in La Guajira.
The Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Germán Umaña Mendoza, described the arrival as a historic event for Colombian tourism and noted that “in the government of President Gustavo Petro Urrego, we work for responsible, regenerative and sustainable tourism in our territories. And the department of La Guajira is precisely a region with high potential for this activity, since it has landscapes that confirm why Colombia is The Country of Beauty.”
The experience in La Guajira
Designed in 2022 specifically to access smaller ports inaccessible to other similar vessels, the Emerald Azzurra began its itinerary on January 6 in Barbados, from where it departed to destinations such as Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Aruba and Curacao, and then docked in Cabo de la Vela.
Around 8 in the morning, the cruise passengers were received by the local authorities and the Wayú indigenous community, who had prepared a series of welcome activities for them to introduce them to the region. The experience was described by one of the Canadian tourists as “emotional and special.”
“I had never been to Colombia. Having a ship arrive in this area for the first time was magical, seeing everyone waiting for us was exciting, seeing the beautiful people, the culture, the colorful costumes, it was exciting. I think everyone needs to see this beautiful country,” said Tammy Brideau, a tourist from Canada.
Brendan Rayment, commercial director of Colombia 57, the tour operator in charge of the land experience, explained that with support from the Wayuu community, local authorities and ProColombia, visitors immersed themselves in a “tour that included a cultural immersion in a ranchería and visit the local school for an interactive activity with students teaching some words in Wayuunaki.”
The vice president of Ocean Implementation of the Emerald Cruises line, Claudius Docekal, for his part celebrated the arrival of the cruise ship to La Guajira, and described the event as a “pride.”
“With our capacity of 50 suites, our yachts are the ideal vehicle to offer non-intrusive tourism in ecologically sensitive regions. It was a mutually rewarding visit with the Wayuu community, which was extremely important to us. We have no doubt that our clients were delighted with the cultural interaction and will return to their places of origin marveled by the experience and the unique landscapes of La Guajira, the northernmost desert in South America,” said Docekal.
After concluding its passage through Cabo de la Vela, the ship will make two additional stops in the cities of Santa Marta and Cartagena, to conclude its journey in Panama.
“Committed to the mandate of the National Government and President Gustavo Petro to promote tourism in a broader and improved way in various regions of the country, we have achieved this historic moment for the department of La Guajira, a paradisiacal destination that stands out for its rich cultural heritage and its exuberant natural environment,” concluded the president of ProColombia, Carmen Caballero. With Infobae