Punta del Este doubles cruise numbers: 12-10-2007
Uruguay's main coastal resort on the South Atlantic Ocean is expecting 60 per cent more tourists in the coming season, hoping to receive around 120,000 visitors.
The reason behind the increased projection in numbers of tourists is largely due to the fact that the Punta del Este will see 83 cruise vessels docking on its shores next season, compared to 33 cruise ships during 2005/06 and 53 this season.
But as the Punta del Este has a natural bay, the problem in the past has been that there were no proper port facilities for cruise vessels, meaning that passengers had to land on jetties in the marinas, which during summer are booked up with expensive yachts.
Authorities have therefore freed up a fishermen's wharf to be lengthened by a hundred metres, which will also feature tourism and customs offices.
Speaking of the well-heeled tourists that are usually drawn to the resort, Horacio Diaz, head of the Punta del Este Tourism Office, told the Santiago Times: "Some of them have felt attracted and have returned to buy summer homes or flats."
Apart from the long coasts and clear waters, the Punta del Este boasts incredible sunsets and many cultural activities.
Among the attractions is the Museo del Mar, which is one of the largest collections of maritime articles in the world with more than 5,000 specimens, including embalmed sea lions and dolphin skeletons.
The Casapueblo, the former house of artist Carlos Paez Vilaro, is also nearby and now contains an art gallery and museum, but there are many other museums in the area.
Tourists can also take a boat over to the Isla de Lobos to see one of the largest populations of sea lions in South America.
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