Developing the Cruise Industry in Venezuela and

New Destinations in the Southern Caribbean:

Opportunities for Cruise Operators

Roberto Smith Perera, Fundación La Guaira Ciudad Histórica

May, 2022
Cruise Industry News Headline 2024: “How Venezuela opened
its international tourism sector and became the hottest new
hub for cruise operators in the Southern Caribbean”

It is well known in the cruise industry that Venezuela has been out of
the picture for several years, due mainly to restrictive government
policies. These policies are changing towards a more welcoming
approach to private investments in oil, tourism and other sectors.

This change will create exciting opportunities to develop new cruise

routes in the Southern Caribbean, including convenient home ports,
attractive ports of call and terminals, and beautiful coastal sites in
Venezuela and the Southern Caribbean - from Panama to Barbados.

This document analyzes these opportunities and explores ways to

develop a sustainable and profitable cruise business in and around
Venezuela.

A consistent effort should be made now by cruise operators to

transform these potential opportunities into a thriving reality.
 The Caribbean is the most …but, Venezuela, the largest
dreamed tourist destination in the country in the Caribbean, is out
world… of the picture of cruise routes

Caracas
Venezuela
Caracas is by far the largest urban area in the Caribbean, with
large facilities, international port, international airport and
charming tourism destinations nearby…

Caracas
Airport La Guaira
Port

4 Km

17 Km

Caracas
CIty
…however, as of 2022 cruises are passing by and
traversing a long leg over Venezuela, but not
stopping in Venezuela

Tui Cruises Mein Schiff 2 AIDA Perla Nieuw Statendam Holland America

Marella Discovery Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas - Celebrity Constellation

Caracas Port - La Guaira - has many conditions to become a
successful home port for new Southern Caribbean Routes

Home Port Key Success

Factors:
1. Location & climate
2. Dimension & facilities
3. Charming tourism offer
4. Convenience
1. 1. Location & climate: There are many potentially exciting
new Southern Caribbean Routes based in Venezuela - in a
lush tropical, hurricane-free, year-round summer scenery

Panama-Grenada 1,000 nm
 1. 1. Location & climate: New Southern Caribbean Routes can
be developed around Caracas and Venezuela with great
destinations and substantially shorter sailing distances

Miami 1260 nm
PR 472 nm

St Lucia 314 nm

Aruba 215 nm Barbados 460 nm

Cartagena 590 nm
Los Roques 65 nm

Margarita 160 nm

T&T 315 nm
Caracas Port
 1. 2. Dimension and facilities: La Guaira is now a large
international class port with plenty space available

Caracas
Airport
New container
port ● Top 3 port in the
Southern Caribbean
Passenger ● 4 Km from Caracas
terminal international airport
● Ready for up to 7
Available
simultaneous cruises
terminals & ● Highway access
docks ● Existing passenger
Available terminals
terminals & ● Facilities for
docks
maintenance &
operations
● Large areas for ship
La Guaira logistics
Old Town
1. 3. Charming tourism offer: There are many beach tourism
destinations in Venezuela within 250 nm

Aruba
Los Roques

Margarita

Adícora
La Tortuga

Coche

Morrocoy Puerto La Cruz

Araya

Caracas
La Guaira
 3. Charming tourism offer: La Guaira Historic City is being
redeveloped to host and entertain cruise tourists in a charming
colonial destination

● State capital
● Colonial tradition
● 650 buildings of
historic value
● Several landmark
monuments
● 16 waterfront
hectares
● Protected by
heritage
regulations
1. 4. Convenience: Caracas Port has sufficient installed services
capacity to serve large cruise operators

● International airport at 4 Km
● 6 million population within 20 miles (local tourists)
● Access to key supplies:
○ FOOD & BEVERAGES
○ FUEL
○ WATER
● Facilities for embarkation/disembarkation
● Availability of support services and technical personnel (hotel
systems, mechanical, maintenance, etc.)
● Availability of cruise talent (managers, sailors, cooks,
waitresses, entertainers, etc.)
● Parking and logistics space
● Sufficient extra-port accommodations within 20 miles
 4. Convenience: There are several alternatives to efficiently
transform La Guaira Port into an optimal home cruise port

Separate cruises from other port activities Execute terminal renovations

Build new terminals Build an entire new cruise port

 How to transform the opportunity into reality

Building new Southern Caribbean Cruise routes and destinations and

opening Venezuela as a regional cruise route hub is not an easy, nor
straightforward, endeavor.

But the potential benefits for investors, operators, governments and -

of course - the population and tourists, merit further work, specially by
interested cruise operators.

This would require:

1. Make a decision to initiate an exploratory effort

2. Motivate government authorities to concrete plans and policies
to promote cruise ship tourism
3. Start dialogue with government authorities about preliminary
check lists of technical, operational, infrastructure, maritime,
security and other requirements
4. Evaluate legal and regulatory issues
5. Prepare preliminary business plans
6. Evaluate potential sites for ports and destinations
 Thanks very much!

Fundación La Guaira Ciudad Histórica is a non-profit organization dedicated to rebuild,

renovate and revitalize La Guaira City & Port and transform it into a world-class cultural,
commercial and tourist destination.

Roberto Smith Perera is a Venezuelan businessman. He has been Minister of Transport and
Communications, responsible for ports, airports and highways (1990-92), Ambassador to
the European Union, Belgium and Luxembourg (1992-96), founder & CEO of a large cellular
telephone company in Venezuela (Digitel, 1997-2004), and entrepreneur in hospitality,
technology and other businesses, primarily in Venezuela. He is now working in the
reconstruction of La Guaira City & Port. He holds a Harvard Ph.D. in Public Policy (1987).

Contact: rsmithperera@gmail.com, +1-917-680-0244, +58-412-218-0008, ,+58-412-808-0000

.