A total of 3,484,661 travelers were mobilized using public transport from December 1 to 31 of the last month of 2018 as part of the holiday season, reported this Friday the Vice President for Communication, Culture and Tourism, Jorge Rodríguez. He also noted that 95,460 Venezuelans entered the country from Colombia, the vast majority to settle back in Venezuela, which he described as a “Return to the Homeland Plan financed by the very people who decided to return.” Of these, 2,833,355 people used land transportation, 487,435 used air transport and 163,871 used water transport, said the minister of communication. 
In comparison, in 2017 2,745,521 people traveled by land, which implies that this year there was an increase in the mobilization of 3.9 percent (87,834 people), which implies an “increased use of hotels and the ability of people to spend a happy holiday, “said Rodríguez.
In 2017, 445,677 people were mobilized by air, which means that in 2018 there was an increase of 8.5 percent.
152,741 people traveled by water to domestic destinations such as the cays of Morrocoy, Nueva Esparta, Los Roques or Mochima, while 11,130 people traveled by water abroad.
Influx of people from Colombia
Rodriguez stressed that, in this December holiday from Colombia 95 thousand 460 Venezuelans entered our country. He pointed out that many came to spend their December holidays in Venezuela, and “the great majority” to reestablish themselves definitively in our country. “It is a form of Return to the Homeland financed directly by people,” he explained.
Of these, 960 entered through the state of Amazonas, 3,500 through Apure, 70,000 through Táchira using public transport, and 21,000 through Zulia state.
He highlighted a video presented by Venezuelan Minister of Culture, Ernesto Villegas, on December 29 on his Twitter account, showing a large number of people moving from Cúcuta to San Antonio del Táchira on the afternoon of that day, explaining that Many of them came to spend their vacations in Venezuela or to settle permanently in the country.
He indicated that in the mornings there is an inverse flow in that bridge; “Colombians and Venezuelans travel every morning to Cúcuta to carry out their commercial activities, to buy or do any other personal transaction.”
Also, Rodriguez informed that the state Táchira was the second state with the largest number of travelers: “Between 2018 and 2017 there was an increase of 87,834 people, 4% more moved in these vacations.”
Traffic accidents decrease
The Venezuelan Vice President of Communication also reported that traffic accidents decreased by 60.6% during the Christmas season, and that accidents with property damage decreased by 68.6%, while accidents with injuries by 47.6% .
This was due – Rodriguez explained – an operation was carried out with 203,625 officers, 20,000 men and women of Civil Protection and Fire, 3,300 control points, 5,241 patrol vehicles, 6,328 motorcycles, 235 ambulances , 78 cranes, 29 aircraft and 10 thousand 528 kilometers of roads covered throughout the national territory.
He stressed that “in these holidays there was greater protection for travelers with higher number of check points and security officials deployed.”
Translated by JRE
