- 25 Spanish Port Authorities will present their offerings at the largest cruise trade fair in Northern Europe, Seatrade Europe 2015
- Data from July points to a new annual record high of 8 million passengers
The Spanish Port Authority (Puertos del Estado) will participate in Seatrade Europe 2015, the largest cruise trade fair in Northern Europe, which will be held from September 9 to 11 in Hamburg. The PORTS OF SPAIN stand, under the slogan “Blue Carpet: Enter Spain on a blue carpet,” will present a comprehensive image of Spain and promote the cruise sector in the country by highlighting improvements to port facilities and the cultural and tourism offerings. In 2013, the Spanish Port Authority launched this campaign, based on the concept that ports are the gateway to Spain, to present the Spain brand as a destination that offers tourists access to a distinctive cultural, gastronomic, scenic, and leisure experience.
Twenty-five Spanish Port Authorities (A Coruña, Alicante, Almería, Avilés, Bay of Algeciras, Bay of Cádiz, Balearic Islands, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cartagena, Castellón, Ceuta, Ferrol, Gijón, Huelva, Las Palmas, Málaga, Motril, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Santander, Seville, Tarragona, Valencia, Vigo, and Vilagarcía) will be present at the
fair with the aim of consolidating Spain's position in the cruise market. Seatrade Europe 2015, held in Hamburg, Germany, is the most important cruise trade fair in Northern Europe and brings together nearly 250 exhibitors (shipping companies, shipping agents, suppliers, etc.) from more than 40 countries. In addition, a conference program will take place during the fair, featuring more than 60 speakers from the cruise industry, who will present the strategic directions for the development of the cruise market in the coming years.
ON THE ROAD TO A RECORD 8 MILLION CRUISE PASSENGERS IN 2015
Cruise passenger traffic reached 4,295,763 passengers in the first seven months of the year, representing an 11.18% increase compared to the same period of the previous year. This figure confirms the forecasts made by the Spanish Port Authorities, which predict a year-end record of over 8 million passengers.
Barcelona, the Balearic Islands, Malaga, and Valencia in the Mediterranean; the Bay of Cadiz, Vigo, and A Coruña on the Atlantic coast; and the Canary Islands are the main destinations for this type of tourism, accounting for 96% of national cruise traffic.
Internationally, Spanish ports are highly significant, with seven Port Authorities ranking among the top 40 in Europe, making Spain the second-ranked European country after Italy, which is represented by nine ports. Barcelona, which is also one of the world's top five ports in terms of shipments/disembarks, is the undisputed leader, ahead of ports such as Rome or Venice.
More than 26,000 jobs depend on the cruise tourism sector in Spain.
The latest report published by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Europe, “Contribution of Cruise Tourism to the Economies of Europe,” states that 200 cruise ships with a capacity of 250,000 people operated in Europe during 2013. A total of 31.2 million passengers embarked, visiting one of the 250 port cities in Europe. The economic impact of this activity is estimated at €39 billion, with direct spending by cruise lines, passengers, and crew amounting to €16.2 billion, and 339,400 jobs generated.
