Convened by Turismo Andaluz, the representatives of the Andalusian ports integrated into the Suncruise Andalucía Association, attended the presentation in the Port of Malaga by the Minister of Tourism of the Junta de Andalucía, Mr. Rafael Rodríguez Bermúdez, of the Master Plan for Cruise Tourism in Andalusia.
The meeting was held at the headquarters of the Port Authority of Málaga, hosted by its President, Mr. Paulino Plata, given that Málaga is the main cruise port in Andalusia and also the headquarters of the public company for the management of Andalusian Tourism. Also participating in the presentation, alongside the Minister of Tourism, was the President of the Port Authority of Almería, Ms. Trinidad Cabeo, in her capacity as President of the Suncruise Andalucía Association (an association of Andalusian ports for the joint promotion of cruise traffic, which has been operating since 2006).
During their presentations, Trinidad Cabeo and the Minister of Tourism explained the final content of the Andalusia Cruise Tourism Master Plan, which will be implemented over the coming years. This plan will define the work guidelines for joint promotion and communication among Andalusian ports until 2016. The plan presented includes significant new developments for promoting cruise tourism in Andalusian ports and was developed after a period of study and planning, which included a detailed analysis of the cruise sector in Andalusia, taking into account observations from experts in the tourism sector and the local cruise industry.
The Cruise Tourism Action Plan identifies a series of key markets for promoting Andalusian ports as cruise destinations. The priority markets for the coming years will be the main European countries that send cruise passengers, including the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, with Spain following in fourth place due to its growing cruise market. The strategic objective of the Action Plan is to increase the number of cruise ships and passengers arriving at Andalusian ports and to improve the quality and image of the tourism offerings related to this market. To achieve this, the plan focuses on maximizing the complementary nature of Andalusia's tourism offerings, optimizing the options available in each destination.
For the Plan to function effectively, a Working Group will be established, creating a work plan and timeline that outlines the main milestones of the joint action by Andalusian cruise ports. The plan includes the following key actions:
The promotion and communication strategy for Andalusian ports regarding cruises will be a unified one, led by Turismo Andaluz. This includes joint participation in general tourism fairs, branding in mainstream media and specialized magazines, and the development of consistent and up-to-date graphic materials.
– As a novel and interesting development, Turismo Andaluz intends to develop the brand “Andalucía Turismo de Cruceros”, as well as online actions such as improving the website space, improving the positioning of the Andalucía Destino de Cruceros brand, online communication on specialized websites and establishing a social media plan.
– Familiarization trips, marketing agreements with tour operators and travel agencies, in-house presentations, jointly with the operators.
– Joint participation in global cruise industry forums and associations. And cooperation with other key players in the cruise tourism market, such as the CLIA association.
In the words of Trinidad Cabeo, “Cruise tourism activity in Andalusian ports shows very positive figures. To continue advancing in this market, collaboration between Ports and Andalusian Tourism is essential. This Master Plan is the result of joint collaboration between ports and tourism institutions; experts from the tourism sector and the business world also participated in its development, achieving an innovative approach to the actions to be carried out until 2016.”
It's worth noting that in 2013, Andalusian ports received 677 cruise ship calls, bringing over 824,000 cruise tourists, 87% of whom were international visitors. Cruise activity in Andalusia accounts for approximately 11% of all cruise activity in Spain. The ports of Málaga and Cádiz are among the country's leading cruise ports.
