• 3 min de lectura
• 3 min de lectura
South American officials talked up the importance of working together on challenges and opportunities at the XI Encuentro de Cruceros.
August 11, 2026
Nicolás Belgrano of Argentina's National Agency of Ports and Navigation, left, and José Miguel Cruz of Chile's Conosur, right, discussed 'Building the Regional Cruise Route' in a panel moderated by Elisa Kuster of Argentina's National Agency of Ports and Navigation
Promoting the Southern Cone as a unified destination, developing new regional itineraries, staying cost-competitive and the use of AI were among topics of the 11th Regional Cruise Meeting in Punta del Este, Uruguay.
Tourism and port authorities, cruise line representatives, shipowners, tour operators and other industry stakeholders from Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile met to discuss cruise trends, analyze challenges and pinpoint growth opportunities.
Uruguay Tourism Minister Pablo Menoni talked about the importance of controlling costs for cruise operators, improving connectivity and capitalizing on opportunities arising from the current geopolitical situation.
Menoni also advocated for promoting the region as a unified destination, instead of individual countries or ports, at trade shows and industry gatherings such as Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami.
Brazil Tourism Minister Gustavo Costa Feliciano talked about developing new regional itineraries.
And a panel, "Southern Cone Ports: Building the Regional Cruise Route," included perspectives from José Miguel Cruz, president of Chile's Southern Cone Ports Corp. (Conosur) and chairman of Empresa Portuaria Austral, and Nicolás Belgrano, deputy manager of promotion and development for Argentina's National Agency of Ports and Navigation. It was moderated by Elisa Kuster of Argentina's National Agency of Ports and Navigation.
Conosur's Eric Petri discussed strengthening the relationship between communities, ports and tourism sectors
In a presentation on "Port and City: Towards Sustainable Integration," Eric Petri, Conosur's executive secretary, discussed the importance of strengthening the relationship between communities, ports and tourism sectors.
Marco Ferraz, executive director, CLIA Brazil, discussed industry trends and challenges, and Dario Rustico, GM of the Americas, Costa Cruises, and Marisa Schwarbock, operations manager for Argentina and Latin America, MSC Cruises, talked about alliances for development.
Conosur's Cruz called the Regional Cruise Meeting a "valuable forum for exchange and dialogue, contributing to strengthened regional cooperation, consolidated institutional ties and the joint development of port and cruise activities in South America."
Added Petri: "It is crucial to advance coordinated efforts that allow us to position our tourist attractions internationally, drive public policies aimed at improving sector competitiveness, reduce port costs and promote concrete actions that help consolidate a more attractive and competitive regional system for the Southern Cone cruise industry."
