Ecuador will close out the year with the arrival of nine cruise ships to the ports of Manta (Manabí) and Guayaquil (Guayas), bringing approximately 9,200 travelers from around the world during the month of December. Upon arrival, visitors will receive tourist information about the country's various destinations from officials from this state department. The cruise season began in August of this year, bringing 22 vessels with 10,992 passengers as of last month.

In November, for example, the cruise ships Ms. Oosterdam and Ms. Hamburg arrived in Manta, carrying 2,150 passengers. Dora Hinojosa arrived from Florida, United States, on one of the ships and toured Montecristi, where she bought a toquilla straw hat.When they told me we were going to arrive at this destination in Ecuador, my first thought was to buy the hat.”, he commented.

Like her, the other cruise passengers took tours to Montecristi, Pacoche, and Cerro de Hojas Jaboncillo in Manabí; while in Guayaquil, the tourists visited the city center to see sites such as Centenario Park, the Moorish Tower, the La Rotonda hemicycle, and Santa Ana Hill, among others.

With the arrival of cruise ships to the country's shores, economic and tourism activity in each locality is boosted, so efforts are underway to consolidate the country as a cruise destination, developing promotional strategies and boosting maritime connectivity for the benefit of the industry.