Colombia Reels In Thomson

By Editor Simon Veness

The tourism board of Colombia has joined the growing band of Caribbean cruise organisations to stage a big push for more ship visits, with the announcement of a return to the country by Thomson Cruises.

Following the recent promotion of the port of Santo Domingo by the tourism ministry of the Dominican Republic (see our recent blog on this link), Colombia is now firmly in the spotlight for a cruise boost in 2014 and beyond.

Proexport Colombia - the country's tourism agency - and Thomson Holidays got together in London this week to reveal that, after a three-year hiatus, the Thomson Dream will start calls in Cartagena once more, adding still further to the country's cruise business revival.

The 1,506-passenger ship will sail from Montego Bay, Jamaica, on regular seven-night cruises to the Southern Caribbean from January-March 2015, with a full itinerary to Panama and Costa Rica as well as Cartagena. 

President of Proexport Colombia, Maria Claudia Lacouture, explained: "According to estimates by Thomson Cruises, 99% of passengers will come from Europe. This is a market that we have been exploring for the promotion of the cruises sector and on which we will place special emphasis in 2014 to increase the number of international travelers to the country."

Historic Cartagena is one of the Caribbean's oldest cities, and visitors will be able to experience the cobblestone streets; follow in the footsteps of Nobel Prize winner for Literature, Gabriel Garcia Marquez; or just enjoy the great variety of local restaurants and cafes.

During the 2012/13 season, 275,662 cruise passengers arrived at Colombian ports, representing an increase of 5.9% over 2011/12, and other recent developments include the announcement of MSC Cruises bringing its new mega-ship MSC Divina to the Cartagena in 2014. In addition, Spanish line Pullmantur expanded its ship capacity in Colombia with the Monarch, which arrived for the first time earlier this year.

More info: visit www.colombia.travel/en/; for Thomson Cruises, call 0871 231 4691 or visit www.thomson.co.uk/cruise.html.

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Beat The Winter Chill With Fred Olsen

An ideal post-Christmas getaway is Fred Olsen's Braemar’s 15-night Caribbean fly-cruise, departing on January 5, 2012, an exciting itinerary that includes a late-night stay in the colourful and vibrant Cuban city of Santiago de Cuba. You also fly from London Gatwick or Manchester to Barbados on exclusive, fully-escorted Fred Olsen charters.

The cruise starts with an overnight stay in Barbados (above), then visits Bonaire and Aruba, Montego Bay in Jamaica, and on to Santiago de Cuba, the island’s former capital. The cruise also visits the Turks & Caicos Islands, Tortola and Antigua, with a scenic journey through the Grenadines, en route back to Barbados for the return flights.

Prices start from £1,394 per person, based on two adults sharing an inside twin cabin, Grade I, and include flights and transfers, all meals and entertainment on board, and port/airport taxes. Olsen is also offering some attractive Canary Islands cruises this winter, representing excellent value.

One such cruise is Balmoral’s 13-night cruise departing from Southampton on December 8. The cruise first visits Madeira, calling at the capital Funchal, then visits the Canary Islands of La Palma, Tenerife, La Gomera and Gran Canaria. The final port of call is Portugal’s vibrant capital city, Lisbon.

An additional attraction on this cruise is a theme of ‘History of the British Royal Family’ as part of the line's award-winning onboard enrichment programme, Vistas. The programme covers a comprehensive range of topics, from wine-tasting and gardening to antiques and photography, hosted by experts in their relevant fields. The expert hosting the Royal Family theme is David V. Thomas MVO, the former Crown Jeweller, who was responsible for the care and conservancy of the Crown Jewels from 1991 to 2007, as well as the personal collections of Her Majesty the Queen and other members of the Royal Family.

Prices for this cruise start from £737 per person, based on two adults sharing an inside, twin cabin, Grade I, and include accommodation, all meals and entertainment on board, and port taxes.

Find out more at www.fredolsencruises.com or contact the UK's leading cruise specialist agents of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the World of Cruising magazine today.