El Salvador is gearing up for its largest cruise season in history, with 20 ships scheduled to dock at the ports of Acajutla and La Unión, announced Federico Anliker, president of the Autonomous Port Executive Commission (CEPA). “This will be the biggest cruise season in the country’s history. We already have 20 cruises planned for both ports,” Anliker said during an interview on Frente a Frente.
The figure marks a significant increase from the seven cruises projected earlier this year by Tourism Minister Morena Valdez. The cruise season, which began in October, runs through June, coinciding with the colder months in Europe and North America. Between January and May 2025, the Ministry of Tourism expects four vessels to arrive, whose passengers will visit destinations such as the Santa Ana volcano, Cerro Verde, Joya de Cerén, and the historic center of San Salvador.
According to the Central American Tourism Integration Secretariat (SITCA), El Salvador hosted only one cruise in 2024 with more than 1,200 passengers, compared to 23 vessels and 18,000 visitors the previous year. Meanwhile, neighboring Guatemala expects 45 ships this season, and Panama has scheduled 195 Canal transits.
Beyond cruises, La Unión Port is emerging as a regional hub for vehicle transport. Since March, the Pacific Port Union (UPDP)—a partnership between CEPA and Yilport—has reactivated the facility, handling 50 roll-on/roll-off ships and boosting operations that had been underused since the port’s opening in 2019. “We’re building a vehicle logistics hub where cars arrive for El Salvador, and we aim to attract more from Honduras and Nicaragua due to our strategic location,” Anliker explained.
La Unión Port also handles fertilizer shipments and fishing vessels, further strengthening its role in El Salvador’s expanding maritime logistics network.