A fifth cruise chooses Puerto Rico as a base port after the passage of Hurricane María

The cruise ship "Jewel of the Seas", from Royal Caribbean International, will dock in the Port of San Juan next Sunday, with what will become the fifth boat of its kind in choosing the Puerto Rican capital as a base port after the passage of Hurricane Maria in September.

San Juan, Nov 16 (EFE) .- The cruise ship "Jewel of the Seas", by the Royal Caribbean International, will dock at the Port of San Juan next Sunday, with what will become the fifth vessel of its kind to choose the Puerto Rican capital as a base port after the passage of Hurricane Maria in September.

The executive director of the Tourism Company of Puerto Rico (CTPR), José Izquierdo, confirmed today through a statement the arrival of the "Jewel of the Seas" to San Juan to turn the city into a center of operations on its cruises for the Caribbean.

The passage of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico on September 20 devastated the infrastructure of the island, so local authorities have put their hopes in tourism for the recovery of the economy.

Izquierdo stressed that the "Jewel of the Seas" will arrive in San Juan in accordance with what was established prior to the passage of Hurricane Maria and will become the second ship of Royal Caribbean International and the fifth in total to choose San Juan as the base port for its peak cruise season in the Caribbean region.

The other cruises that will depart from the Puerto Rican capital are the "Adventure of the Seas" of Royal Caribbean International, the "Viking Sea" of Viking Cruises, the "Celebrity Summit" of Celebrity Cruises and the "Norwegian Dawn "by Norwegian Cruise Line.

The" Jewel of the Seas "will end in San Juan next Sunday an itinerary started in Civitavecchia (Rome), with approximately 2,000 passengers.

These passengers will disembark and fly to their residences or complete stays in Puerto Rico.

That same night, the "Jewel of the Seas" will sail with approximately 2,000 new passengers and will complete a one-week itinerary before returning to San Juan, which will take you to the Caribbean destinations of Santo Tomás, San Cristóbal, Antigua, Santa Lucia and Barbados.

The departure on November 19 of the "Jewel of the Seas" will be the first of 25 scheduled from San Juan during this "winter" season for that vessel, which It ends in April.

Approximately 56,000 passengers will be part of these trips, with an estimated economic impact of 8.3 million dollars for the Puerto Rican economy.

"La arrival of the 'Jewel of the Seas' this Sunday ensures, approximately, 10,000 passengers using San Juan as a base port every weekend until the end of April next year, "said Izquierdo.

He said that this represents a huge economic injection for the next 5 months that should benefit hotels, restaurants and carriers in Puerto Rico, among others.

"We thank Royal Caribbean International for continuing to trust Puerto Rico as the ideal base port for its passengers and, as mandated by the governor, Ricardo Rosselló, we will continue working on restoring this crucial industry for our economy in its entirety, "Izquierdo said.