Malaga was present at 'Seatrade Med', the leading biennial trade fair for the cruise sector in the Mediterranean, held in Barcelona between September 16 and 18.
With an expected attendance of over 10,000 visitors and some 400 companies registered as exhibitors and co-exhibitors, this is a professional meeting point that highlights the attendance of the most important shipping companies worldwide, as well as port and tourism authorities, tour operators and suppliers.
Presence at the fair
The Port of Malaga participated in the trade fair with a 24 m² stand, shared with representatives from the Port Authority, the City Council, the Malaga-Costa del Sol Tourism Board, and Malaga Cruises. This space was located within the Medcruise pavilion (the Mediterranean Cruise Ports Association, of which the Port Authority is a member). The Port of Malaga also supported the initiatives undertaken by Andalusian Tourism and Suncruise Andalusia (the Andalusian Cruise Ports Association) during the event, in which they presented an action plan to stakeholders in the sector.
Meetings and other activities during the fair
The Malaga delegation has held more than 20 meetings with representatives of the main cruise lines and other professionals in the sector, during which the delegation presented its latest developments regarding port fees and the destination's offerings.
Furthermore, the Port of Malaga has participated for the first time in the technical conferences on ports and destinations organized by CLIA (Cruise Line International Association), made up of 63 shipping companies, which represents 95% of the industry's capacity worldwide.
On the other hand, today the Port Authority is attending the Medcruise General Assembly, where association issues will be discussed and a new president and a new Board of Directors will be elected.
Finally, outside of the commercial agency, the president of the Port Authority, Mr. Paulino Plata, has held meetings with the State Ports entity and other Spanish ports to share experiences and propose common strategies.
Information provided to shipping companies
One of the most interesting points discussed in the meetings revolved around the financial negotiations with the cruise lines, as the cruise sector is focused on reducing port call costs. The Port of Malaga has therefore submitted its new financial offer, which will be approved for 2015. The proposal includes, firstly, a special 40% discount for ships calling at Malaga between December and February and between June and August, and secondly, a discount of up to 30% on embarkation and disembarkation fees.
The President of the Port Authority, Paulino Plata, emphasized that “this economic offer will improve the port's competitiveness, stimulating the arrival of ships during the off-season and reinforcing Málaga as a home port.” This action is part of a joint strategic objective between the port and the city to attract this type of traffic, an objective that has been under development for the past few years.
On the other hand, information regarding the capital's air connections has also generated enormous interest during the meetings held, representing an opportunity to consolidate Málaga as a home port. Plata stated that "the Port Authority will strengthen its collaboration with Málaga Airport, as well as establish joint working relationships with other airports, primarily Barajas, among other international stakeholders who have expressed interest.".
Continuing with the objective of creating joint strategies that help attract more cruise traffic and improve competitiveness, Malaga hopes to organize a meeting with the state's ports of general interest that operate with ships based there.
Conclusions
Cruise lines have finalized their forecasts for 2015, so the meetings held have focused on 2016, a year in which the Port of Malaga has a positive outlook, as the meetings have yielded very positive results. The forecast for 2014 is for approximately 400,000–420,000 passengers, representing almost 6% growth compared to 2013, and a similar number of passengers is expected for 2015.
The president of the Port Authority has highlighted that “the joint work strategy between the port and city institutions, as well as the cruise terminal, is working properly and the objective is to deepen it.”.
The successful stopover of the 'Oasis of the Seas' in the Port of Malaga on September 11th generated considerable excitement during the trade fair, revealing "the port's capacity to take on challenges that began with the intermodal operation of the ship 'Ventura'," according to Plata. Following its visit, the port facility received recognition from Royal Caribbean, which rated the operations in Malaga as excellent (Port, shipping agent, Malaga Cruises). This sentiment was echoed by the Captain of the 'Oasis of the Seas' himself during its stopover in Barcelona yesterday.
The Councillor for Tourism, Julio Andrade, today expressed his satisfaction with the results obtained by the Malaga delegation at Seatrade Med, the most important cruise trade fair in the Mediterranean, which was held this week in Barcelona.
Thus, the councilor highlighted that conversations with the main shipping companies indicate that Malaga will close this year with a 5.5% increase in the number of cruise passengers, and the forecasts for 2015 are equally positive, as most companies will maintain their operations or even increase them.
Andrade also emphasized that Málaga is becoming a well-known destination for cruise passengers. In any case, the councilor asserted that continued efforts are needed to create products that attract tourists, who are increasingly seeking unique experiences. Andrade also noted that the destination, and especially its historical and cultural offerings, are highly valued by cruise passengers.
The councilor also emphasized the importance of the Port Authority, the City Council, and the Tourism Board working together on all initiatives to showcase the destination's strength in the cruise tourism sector. He noted that the establishment of a single Cruise Tourism Working Group addresses this need.
The priority, as noted, is to increase revenue at the destination by boosting passenger spending and increasing the number of cruise ships based in the city, which leads to extended stays before and after embarkation and disembarkation. The challenge is to position the Málaga-Costa del Sol brand as a leading cruise destination in the Mediterranean.
In addition, the Cruise Tourism Board will seek to work closely with tour operators to design and improve the offer and also prepare pre- and post-cruise tour packages for shipping lines and travel agencies that believe they should have a commercial offer aimed at the independent cruiser as support.
“We believe it is extremely positive that all interested parties who can contribute knowledge and talent are represented on this body. This forum will allow us to boost Málaga's position as a home port and port of call,” he emphasized.
