FCCA cruise passengers can come with confidence to Sinaloa, Rocha

By inaugurating the 29th Convention of the Florida and Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), which for the first time in history is being held in Mazatlán, the governor of Sinaloa, Rubén Rocha Moya, He invited all shipping companies to continue visiting this port with great confidence and security.

While FCCA CEO Michele M. Paige acknowledged that Sinaloa did hard work and the return of cruise ships is a tribute to this achievement.

The state president inaugurated this convention, which from this Tuesday until Friday, November 10, will bring together in Mazatlán managers of shipping companies and representatives of tourist destinations from various countries and islands in the Caribbean, from Canada to Argentina, and which included also with the presence of the CEO and president of Carnival Corporation, Josh Weinstein, which is one of the largest cruise shipping companies in the world, and as a special guest of Governor Rocha, the governor of Sonora, Alfonso Durazo Montaño.

In his inauguration message, Governor Rocha highlighted that his government has dedicated special attention to providing the security conditions required by the cruise industry, so that they do not withdraw from Mazatlán again, as happened in 2010.

We paid attention to your concerns, to improve security. If I tell you: leave Mazatlán, go to El Rosario, or to El Quelite, to La Noria, or go to El Fuerte, it is because we have guaranteed security, we have improved in a very important way in security for tourism, because we know which is the main factor, although they come for the beauty, because unfortunately we have had a stigma of a violent state, this no longer exists, we have made a lot of progress in improving our security, you can come with great confidence here to Sinaloa, we are going to take care of you through our operations implemented to serve the tourist centers,” he guaranteed.

On the other hand, the state president referred to the dizzying increase in the number of cruise ships that visit Sinaloa, since in 2018, in the first months of his mandate, 127 were counted with a total of 433 thousand passengers and crew, a number that increased to 141 cruises in 2022, which brought 570 thousand people on board, and according to the trend, this year there will be more than 600 thousand visitors.

In turn, Michele M. Paige recognized that the holding of an FCCA convention in Mazatlán for the first time in history is due to the request made by Governor Rocha himself in 2017, when he was still governor-elect, when visiting her. in La Paz, Baja California, on the occasion of the convention that was held that year, requesting that Mazatlán be considered for the celebration of an upcoming event of this organization.

Governor, thank you very much for bringing us to this beautiful place that is Mazatlán, Sinaloa. When the governor was just elected two and a half years ago, I had the privilege of having lunch with him and I wanted to know about cruises and the benefits they bring, and when he found out about the conference he said I want to receive a conference in Mazatlán, Well, he did it, and now we have the 29th conference of the FCCA,” said the leader, who was assisted by a translator, as she addressed the audience in English.

Michele M. Paige recalled that in 2010 Mazatlán received half a million passengers on the cruise ships that visited it, but in what she considered a “blink” all that was gone, not precisely because of the people who benefit from this industry, but as a consequence of the insecurity problems that began to become widespread.

But what did Sinaloa do? They worked harder to create a phenomenal product, an in-demand product, creating safety for our passengers and crew. Having everyone here is a tribute to the state of Sinaloa,” he acknowledged.

The welcome was given by the municipal president of Mazatlán, Edgar Augusto González Zataráin, and the CEO and president of Carnival Corporation, Josh Weinstein, also participated with their messages; the governor of Sonora, Alfonso Durazo Montaño; and the coordinator of Ports and Merchant Marine of the Government of the Republic, Ana Laura López Bautista.

Governor Rocha was accompanied by the Secretary of Tourism, Estrella Palacios Domínguez; by the president of the Tourism Commission, deputy Luz Verónica Avilés Rochín; by the director of the Administration of the National Port System in Mazatlán (ASIPONA), Mariel Aquileo Ancona Infanzón, with whom at the end of the formal inauguration event, and together with Michele M. Paige, Josh Weinstein and Governor Alfonso Durazo, inaugurated the stand from ASIPONA, with a sample of all the ports of Mexico, including Mazatlán and Topolobampo, Ahome.

Also attending as guests were the municipal presidents of the Magical and Stately Towns of Sinaloa, as well as the mayor of Ahome, Gerardo Vargas Landeros.

We are very happy to welcome the cruise industry to Sinaloa. Our offer is firm, in this state and in the Gulf of California region, investments, projects and tourists are well received. Welcome to the members of… pic.twitter.com/HbxYeH76qa

— Rubén Rocha Moya (@rochamoya_) November 8, 2023

J.C.S.