Mexican violence problem spills over to LA Port
The Port of Los Angeles lost two massive ships earlier this year but even that pales compared to the Mexican perception problem, which is seriously hurting the cruise market.
“We’re really at the mercy of how people perceive Mexico as a whole, even if the port cities aren’t reporting any problems,” Chris Chase, business manager at the port, told mercurynews.com.
The weak economy is also having an impact.
Royal Caribbean International’s Mariner of the Seas left the Port of Los Angeles earlier this year to move to Europe and Galveston, Texas. Norwegian Cruise Lines also moved its Norwegian Star from Los Angeles to Tampa this year.
Normally, cruises out of Los Angeles continue throughout the summer but the newspaper says there will be no more cruises until August when some lines make a one-time visit there.
There will be a rebound in late September when the Carnival Spirit and the Disney Wonder head here.
About 605,000 travelers are expected to board 150 cruise calls at the Port of Los Angeles this year, less than half of the 1.22 million passengers who boarded cruises in 2005, according to port officials.
That year was the port’s busiest on record.
By David Wilkening
David
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