THE GERMAN cruise ship Mein Schiff 4 will arrive in  Colon on Monday, November 21, when  TUI, one of the largest tourism operators in the world, makes its debut in the Panamanian market.

Mein Schiff 4, which weighs 99,700 tons and has a capacity of 2,500 passengers, will arrive in the early hours of Nov. 21.

The arrival of TUI, which maintains a partnership with Royal Caribbean Cruises, was finalized 18 months ago.

This year the German operator includes 10 stops in Panama on tours that begin in Jamaica, where European tourists arrive by plane.

Other stops are in Mexico and Honduras.

For the 2016-2017 season, there are 175 confirmed cruise ship visits planned for Panama.

Augusto Terracina, manager of the company that manages the Colón cruise port, said  that the arrival of TUI is important for the local market.