More than one hundred people participated in a conference organized by the Port of Vigo and the Pontevedra Provincial Council on “The Cruise Destination”.
The Port of Vigo is the main means of entry for tourism to the city, exceeding 243,000 visitors in 2014, including passengers and crew.
This sector represents almost 12% of the provincial GDP and affects thousands of companies, in addition to providing direct and indirect employment to 40,000 people.
The President of the Vigo Port Authority, Ignacio López-Chaves, defended the need to maintain and improve Vigo's position as the leading port in Northern Spain for cruise passengers on the occasion of the opening of a conference specializing in "The Cruise Destination".
According to the top port official, speaking to more than a hundred people participating in this course organized by the Vigo Port Authority in collaboration with the Pontevedra Provincial Council, the total figures reaffirm cruise ship traffic as the main means of bringing tourism to the city, exceeding 243,000 visitors in 2014, including passengers and crew.
“This is possible,” he pointed out, “thanks to the collaboration of entities such as the Pontevedra Provincial Council, as well as the investment effort of the Vigo Port Authority,” which in recent years has invested more than 10 million euros in adapting the port infrastructure for cruise traffic, also renewing an area located in the city center, for the enjoyment of the citizens of Vigo.
A profitable business for Vigo
Regarding the 2015 forecasts, the Port Authority President stated that "the figures recorded in 2014 will be surpassed," which, in his opinion, also requires promoting the destination. "For our part, we will continue to make Vigo the leading port in terms of passenger numbers in all of Northwest Spain, because although it is not a profitable business for the Port, it is for the city.".
In this regard, he highlighted the significant effort that the Vigo Port Authority makes every year to attract this traffic and promote the port and the destination itself, which in this industry form an almost inseparable tandem. He noted that the institution he heads visits shipowners in the US and Europe every year, and even, when possible, arranges for the shipowners' decision-makers to visit Vigo. Furthermore, it attends all the international trade fairs in the sector, promoting Vigo within this industry, and participates in initiatives undertaken by the European promotional associations to which it belongs.
A sector with a future
As he explained, the Oasis of the Seas' double stop in the Port of Vigo in 2014 "demonstrates our operational capacity, the result of investments in infrastructure and security that guarantee a promising future for cruise traffic in the Port of Vigo." He asserted that this sector "has a future," and therefore the Vigo Port Authority "will continue to support cruise traffic for the benefit of Vigo, its image, and its economic impact on the city.".
Therefore, López-Chaves publicly thanked the Pontevedra Provincial Council for its support in organizing this course and, as he pointed out, "it is the Administration that collaborates with us in matters of tourism promotion of the cruise destination.".
12% of the provincial GDP
For her part, Montserrat Otero, representative of the Rías Baixas Tourism organization, recalled that this sector represents almost 12% of the provincial GDP and affects thousands of companies, in addition to providing direct and indirect employment to 40,000 people.
As he stated during his speech, “the Rías Baixas destination presents itself full of opportunities for visitors who arrive annually in Vigo by sea from Europe, America or Asia due to the varied offer of our environment, its quality, and the high degree of specialization that we have achieved.”.
In this regard, he highlighted the “privileged geostrategic position” of this enclave as “an open door to the Atlantic, located in the center of the Galicia-Northern Portugal Euroregion” and the “safety and comfort of our estuary, which guarantees docking possibilities 365 days a year”, which “make Vigo one of the best cruise destinations on the peninsula and also on the European Atlantic coast”.
A sector that is withstanding the crisis
“Tourism is proving to be one of the sectors that best withstands the crisis, contributing business models with an impressive capacity for growth and asserting itself year after year as one of the strategic branches of activity in the province, in Galicia and in Spain,” he said.
He also cited new infrastructure projects such as the AVE high-speed train, the expansion of Peinador Airport, the Motorway of the Sea, and the Transcantabrian Highway, which he referred to as "an opportunity for economic and tourism growth, as they will bring together a population of over 10 million inhabitants within a radius of four to five hours.".
According to him, the province of Pontevedra currently accounts for 43% of Galicia's total accommodation offerings, and its beaches boasted nearly 60 Blue Flags in 2014, making the Rías Baixas one of the European regions with the best environmental ratings for its coastline. Therefore, the Pontevedra Provincial Council and Turismo Rías Baixas are "committed to becoming promoters of initiatives for the tourism sector, making the Rías Baixas a competitive, distinctive, and reliable destination.".
Today, the Rías Baixas region ranks among the seven most popular tourist destinations in Spain and holds fifth place nationally in terms of overnight stays. “Our goal is to continue this upward trend by improving coordination, quality, professionalism, efficiency, and especially innovation,” he concluded.
