Buenos Aires, a port that has experienced an uninterrupted growth in cruise traffic for the past ten years, will experience a sharp fall during the current season, which has just commenced in the Southern Hemisphere.
The overall fall in the number of tourists arriving in the country and the galloping operational costs for cruise ships are cited as two main reasons. Alan Lam reports. For the current South American cruise season, which runs from October 2014 to April 2015, the port has only secured 112 cruise calls, as compared to 161 of the previous season and 160 the season before that.
In terms of passenger numbers, the city expects to welcome about 347,600 this season, as compared to 487,390 during 2013-14, a fall of 28.7%. Only 28 ships will make these calls, a 20% fall from the 35 ships of the previous season. The overall number of international visitors arriving in Buenos Aires has been in decline in recent years.
However, the main reason for this sharp fall in cruise traffic is - according to Roberto Fusaro, Director General for South America, MSC Cruises – the high fees paid by cruise ship operators for the privilege of using the River Plate waterway. This has made the cost of operating in Buenos Aires three times higher than that of Barcelona. There has been a constant annual increase in this fee. In a very short time it has increased by 36%.
The contraction of local demand is another reason. This cruise season will be one month shorter than the previous owing to a reduction in the number of local customers. Buenos Aires depends heavily on local demands, as nearly 55% of Argentine passengers embark on their cruises from this port; only 3.7% are of foreign origin.
