In part XVII of our series about the Home Port and its impact on the future of Puerto Peñasco, we looked at how closely our little slice of paradise by the sea fits into the most popular preferences of cruise passengers around the globe. For example, surveys of over 23 million cruisers last year revealed that 75% of passenger expenditures were made in four categories: 1.) watches and jewelry; 2.) shore excursions; 3.) clothing; and 4.) food and beverages, in that order.

Detailed statistics the cruise lines have been gathering from passengers for nearly a century serve as an invaluable tool especially for a new destination in its preparation to host cruise passengers, in our case, before and after they cruise. As a home port, we get them twice, and for several days, unlike any of the other ports of call in Mexico where they will spend just hours visiting. Properly used, those statistical details can literally launch a business for anyone interested in formally serving the cruise market.

As a tourist destination already, our beach side village is accustomed to serving visitors from all parts of the U.S., Canada and abroad. We are experienced in serving driver traffic from nearby states. In the beginning, until the airlines receive landing rights and choose the airports from which they want to bring passengers to our international airport, driver traffic will be our main cruise market source. Sort of like “more of the same old, same old” except on steroids. Therein lies the value of knowing as much as we can about the specific cruise market and where we need to ramp up service, supplies and transportation once they arrive and get their autos parked for the week.

Taking care of basic marketing and publicity needs is so much more defined when we know who is coming, when they are coming and when they will be returning to our port. There exists abundant and detailed data about how to prepare for such an influx of visitors and the in depth statistics of what they will want and need, what they will participate in during the average day and a half before the depart and about the same time after they return from their cruise. You can get a better idea of how these statistics from the cruise lines can help you launch a market specific business by reviewing past articles in our article series from Part I on.

DOWN BY THE PIER

So what’s been going on with the construction of the home port during the last month? If you’ve traveled the Cholla Bay road en-route to Wrecked at the Reef, Mare Blu Restaurant or to historic JJ’s Cantina, you’ve seen the concrete plant area on the right where they pour those one and ten ton cubes and stack them so neatly in gigantic rows while they wait to be loaded onto the 18 wheelers for placement in the sides of the pier to stabilize the smaller rocks that were poured to build the jetty up above the high tide level.

According to Wendy Winzer, our cooperative contact and Project Administrator for pier construction, the weather has allowed them to continue smoothly this month. They have also completed placing the twelve floating buoy lights in the water along the pier and its future pathway. They have kept the six existing lights on the jetty for added caution.

“We are at the 720 meter mark and cannot estimate when we will reach the turning point where the jetty will begin its journey to the southwest for the final 411 meters, but the other construction company who won the bid to build the cruise ship docking platform will begin building the pilots for structure any time now-it’s pretty exciting,” Wendy explained.

“We’ve set up a schedule to blast the smaller rocks from the quarry on a monthly basis now to keep a steady supply rolling down the jetty,” she added.

Wendy also reminded us that December is a month when many of the personnel take holiday vacations and as such, work on the home port will be light until the first of the year. And, Happy Holidays to you, Wendy!

This article is brought to you by the Sonoran Resorts Sales Group, www.sonoranresorts.mx, Jim Ringquist, Director of Sales and Marketing.