The first arrival of a cruise ship after the winter vacations surprised the merchants and service providers of the first square of the city after at least a thousand tourists crowded sites such as the boardwalk, the municipal market and the house of culture.
The Carnival Breeze that arrived at the fiscal dock did so with 4 thousand 65 people and my 363 crew members, being the port finally one of the outstanding points so that at least 20 percent remained within the mentioned public spaces and leaving dollars to the community dedicated to tourism.
“As vendors we have a year with unpredictable sales, I’ve left with more than $25 and I’ve also had days where I don’t get a single dollar. We just came out of a couple of very profitable weeks and now we are entering a time where we have to hold on to wait for Carnival which promises too much too” indicated Guillermo Castillo, a vendor with at least a decade in Progreso with his stand located on 74th Street.
Most of the international visitors remained in the beach area, occupying the palapas for rent, whose price has been criticized by the tourists themselves, since the costs are up to 500 pesos for nationals and more than 30 dollars for foreigners.
Part of the day was made up of attractions and shows such as the one offered by the group of street dancers “Mayan Breackin” where the four young people who make up the group managed to leave with several dollars in their bags after the number presented on 80th Street by 25th Street, right where a couple of restaurants owned by expatriate residents are located.
Another attraction were at least twenty people dressed in pre-Hispanic cultural attire who arrived with counselors from the parliament of indigenous peoples of Yucatán. Photographs were not lacking while an explanation was given of the attire that attracted the attention of Carnival Breeze passengers.
One of the figures who arrived aboard the ship was Vicente Barrera, a well-known singer of the tex mex genre in San Antonio, Texas, who was recognized by several people present for a souvenir photo while the artist gave his opinion of the port to the local media.
“Progreso is a good place, the food is great and the prices were very reasonable for me. An ailment in one of my legs made me even have to go to the doctor and I was satisfied with the attention, I would definitely come back here. The only bad thing is that sometimes you are monopolized by street vendors,” said the singer-songwriter.
Although the winter vacations are over and there was even the return to classes last Monday, national tourism continues to come to the port, especially with tours aboard trucks arriving from central states such as Guadalajara or Tlaxcala.
“If we maintain the flow until Carnival without problems we could leave behind the debts we still have after two years of pandemic. For those who have an alternative job, it may have been easier to get out of the slump, but for those of us who make our living from tourism, it is not easy,” specified Martha Pinzón, a restaurant worker.
It was also a factor that during the day there were no incidents related to insecurity and there were several squads of police officers who walked the “Romeo Frías Bobadilla” stretch from end to end to intervene in any risky situation.
Finally, the tourist ship departed at four o’clock in the afternoon. The commercial sector of the Malecon is waiting for another similar day when a Carnival Breeze ship docks again this coming Thursday. It is rumored that for January 19 the first double arrival is contemplated according to the calendar of the administration of the national port system based in Progreso.
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