The 2015 cruise season at the port of Sant Carles de la Ràpita has ended with six calls and a thousand passengers, two more calls and double the number of passengers than last year, reports the port of this town in the Montsià region.
The economic impact of this cruise on the region is estimated at around €10,000 per port call, a figure calculated based on the expected passenger spending on excursions, dining, shopping, transportation, and other services. This season, 80% of tourists have been primarily European, and 9% North American.
The distribution by nationality was as follows: Germans (34%); British, Italians, and Swiss (10%); Americans (9%); Austrians, Belgians, French, and Swedes (4%); Canadians (3%); Australians (2%); and other nationalities (6%). Each cruise ship that visited La Ràpita stayed for six hours, allowing passengers time to sample the local cuisine, swim at the beaches, explore the town, or go shopping.
As for the excursions, the most requested has been the visits to the mussel farms with tasting included, followed by bird watching and the discovery of the Delta Natural Park and the practice of water sports in the Bay of Els Alfacs, such as kayak excursions.
