First cruise docks in Venezuela in over a decade

The cruise ship Amadea docked on Venezuelan island Margarita on Tuesday, in what the government has called an official resumption of the international maritime tourism industry in the country.

Officials had said that Amadea, sailing under Bahamian flag, is the first cruise in 15 years to dock in Venezuela. Upon their arrival, 500 European tourists were welcomed with traditional Venezuelan music and dances at the port of Guamache.

Despite having an extensive outlet to the Caribbean Sea, Venezuela's ports reduced their movement drastically as a result of the economic and political crisis that the country is going through, a situation that worsened since 2017.