Venezuela welcomes first European cruise ship in 15 years

Venezuela’s Margarita Island welcomed its first European cruise ship with about 500 tourists from different countries in 15 years,as the nation rebuilds its tourism sector after years of economic .

Tourists of different nationalities from European countries come ashore from the MS Amadea cruise ship at the port of El Guamache on Isla Margarita, Nueva Esparta state, Venezuela.(AFP)

“We chose Margarita for tourism reasons, the island was in former times a well-known and highly-frequented holiday spot for Germans,” Phoenix Reisen’s director of cruising, Michael Schulze.

“Maybe with our assistance, being the first cruise vessel after a long time, we can help bring back the attention to tourism,” he added.

Leudo Gonzalez,President of the private Conseturismo tourism association said that no other cruise arrivals have been announced and the industry hopes the Amadea’s visit can help rebuild trust.

The government is working to have more ships visit soon, Tourism Minister Ali Padron said via text message without adding details.

The passengers will spend a day visiting local sites before departing in the afternoon to their next destination.