The Cartagena Port Authority, through the Cartagena Chamber of Commerce, has subsidized the "Trusted Business" seal for establishments belonging to the Association of Friends of Cruises. This seal aims to assure cruise passengers and shipping companies that Cartagena is a safe destination offering quality and the same high-quality service with maximum guarantees for its customers, as reported by the president of the APC, Yolanda Muñoz.
At an event held in the City Hall, where SICTED certificates were also awarded to 19 tourism services or companies in Cartagena that have obtained the "Prepared for Covid" distinction, which accredits them as safe places in the face of the pandemic, the Submarine Shop and Estanco Mayor businesses were certified with the "Trusted Business" seal, awarded by the Chambers of Commerce, the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, and the State Secretariat for Trade to increase and guarantee the safety of cruise passengers and their perception of it in the face of the pandemic during their stopover.
Muñoz said that “the return of cruise ships to the Port of Cartagena, with their first stop this Saturday, June 19, is the definitive boost for the reactivation of tourism and the promotion of sectors as closely linked as commerce, restaurants, culture, and passenger transport.”.
With this quality seal, he added, “we want to give peace of mind to the shipping companies and allow businesses to offer their products to cruise passengers who walk the streets of Cartagena and want to take home a souvenir or shop in the stores in the city center.”.
This work has been made possible thanks to the collaboration and coordination with the Cartagena City Council and the Regional Government, to design, together with the retail and hospitality sectors, the return of cruise ships. Restaurateurs are finalizing gastronomic routes with cruise lines as an added touch of tourist excellence, guaranteeing safety and hygiene.
All businesses that are part of the Cruise Friends Association will have the Trusted Business seal, but "any business that is outside, and wants to have this secure certificate, can join the Cruise Friends Association," the president stressed.
At the SICTED certificate presentation ceremony, the Port Authority received the Advanced Good Practices certificate prepared for COVID-19, awarded through the Spanish Integrated System of Tourism Quality in Destinations (SICTED), to the Cruise Terminal and the port police
On Saturday, cruise passengers disembarking from the Mein Schiff 2 will find renovated facilities, adapted to COVID protocols, with signage to maintain social distancing, temperature checks and disinfection measures, and a designated area for health screenings and testing. In addition, we have carried out improvements including new paint, signage, landscaping, and repairs to the building and pavement.
The president stated that “our priority has been for Cartagena to position itself as one of the leading national destinations in the return of cruise activity. And we have achieved this thanks to the confidence that cruise lines have in Cartagena and the promotional work carried out over the past year and a half to position us as an attractive, high-quality destination in the Mediterranean and as one of the favorite ports of call for cruise passengers, ranking as the eighth Spanish port in cruise traffic.”.
For her part, the mayor of Cartagena, Noelia Arroyo, emphasized that “we have done our homework and have successfully adapted public spaces to comply with Covid regulations, with the seven Puerto de Culturas centers, the El Batel Auditorium, three Tourist Offices, and even the City Hall, as municipal spaces that meet the Covid safety requirements.” In addition to these municipal spaces, the port police and the cruise terminal, hotels and campsites, and several businesses in the city center have also obtained this certification.
The Tourism Minister, Marcos Ortuño, concluded by pointing out that this system aims for a homogeneous level of quality in the services offered to tourists within the same destination, after implementing all the necessary safety measures to reduce infections, in addition to developing contingency plans, improving cleaning and maintenance plans, and training staff.
