The Port of Huelva will welcome seven cruise ships in 2015 and they advocate for building loyalty among shipping companies

The Port of Huelva expects to receive seven cruise ships in 2015, three of them in April. This was announced at a meeting held today at the Huelva Provincial Council building by the Cruise Observatory, an organization comprised of representatives from the Huelva Port Authority, the Provincial Council's Tourism Board, the Huelva City Council, the Huelva Federation of Business Owners, the Association of Streets in the City Center of Huelva, and the Provincial Hospitality Association, as well as travel agencies and representatives of tourism companies, among other institutions.

The Cruise Tourism Observatory met to coordinate a joint response from all stakeholders involved in the arrival of a cruise ship and to analyze the requirements that ports must meet to become established cruise destinations.

The meeting was co-chaired by the President of the Huelva Provincial Council and the Tourism Board, Ignacio Caraballo, and the President of the Port of Huelva, Manuela de Paz.

Ignacio Caraballo highlighted the close collaboration between the Huelva Tourism Board and the Port of Huelva, noting their participation in international trade fairs and events to promote Huelva as a tourist destination. The President of the Tourism Board also praised the cooperation between all the administrations involved in the Cruise Observatory and the private sector.

For her part, Manuela de Paz, President of the Port Authority of Huelva, affirmed that the arrival of seven cruise ships to Huelva for the first time represents a significant challenge and responsibility for both the public administrations and private companies in the sector. In this regard, Manuela de Paz believes it is essential to work effectively to ensure that cruise lines and visitors leave with a positive impression of the city and province, encouraging them to include the Port of Huelva and the destination in their cruise itineraries.

With the aim of boosting Huelva's position as a destination within the global cruise industry, the Observatory considers it essential to establish a long-term Port-Destination strategy. This includes setting a challenge to position Huelva within the cruise industry and meet the demands of both travelers and cruise lines, as "the level of passenger satisfaction is fundamental to fitting the destination into cruise line itineraries."

Given the expected arrival of at least seven cruise ships to the Port of Huelva in 2015, eleven in 2016, and two more in 2017, the Cruise Tourism Observatory intends to capitalize on the exponential growth in port calls and passengers and prepare to welcome the thousands of tourists who, depending on the attention and services they receive, will return to the destination. “We have a unique opportunity to position ourselves as a cruise destination, and we can't afford to fail because there won't be another chance. We can't burn the bridge before we even begin, and that's why we're going to give it our all,” the members of the Observatory stated after meeting to analyze the needs of the destination when receiving cruise ship calls and to make the city and province a preferred destination for this industry.

The Observatory emphasized the importance of collaborating with each link in the cruise industry chain at the destination and ensuring that these links cooperate with one another. They asserted that it is essential to understand how the port, the auxiliary industries, the destination itself, and the tourism services must prepare “to guarantee passenger satisfaction.”

In order to "put all available resources" at their disposal to activate tourism in this segment and "take advantage of the full potential" of Huelva's tourism offerings, three workshops will be organized, scheduled for October, December, and before the arrival of the first cruise ship in April 2015. Through these workshops, a comprehensive plan will be implemented to offer tourists arriving at the Port of Huelva facilities all the services with the highest possible quality to satisfy both shipping companies and passengers.