The president of the Port Authority of the Bay of Cádiz, José Luis Blanco, and the president of the Provincial Council of Cádiz, Irene García, have signed a collaboration protocol between both organizations to analyze the feasibility of converting the Port of Cádiz into a home port for embarkation and disembarkation of cruise ships.
To this end, the port authority will launch a public tender in the coming weeks for the tender specifications for a market study analyzing the possibilities of Cadiz as a home port and the infrastructure, services and promotion needs that this would entail.
As José Luis Blanco explained, the study would be divided into two phases. The first would be a market study and an assessment of the economic impact, and the second phase would be the development of the plan itself. An economic impact study will also be conducted to inform the destination about the economic contribution that the growth of cruise ships would have on the area.
Phase 2 would consist of developing the plan to convert Cadiz into a home port for cruise ships if Phase 1 is successful.
The president of the Provincial Council emphasized that this protocol is part of a broader strategy to support the province's strategic sectors, such as tourism, in order to foster economic development and employment. She also underscored that the significant volume of ship and passenger traffic at the Port of Cádiz has motivated the Provincial Council to participate in this project from the outset, as it has the potential to generate greater wealth for the entire province.
The study has a six-month execution period and the first results are expected in the first quarter of 2017.
