Spanish ports have once again confirmed the country's excellent position among cruise passengers and the superb offering they provide for attracting tourism that has consistently placed Spain among the world's top destinations for years. In 2016, a new record was set with 8.7 million passengers , a 0.6% increase over the previous year, driven primarily by the strong performance of Mediterranean destinations.
Specifically, Mediterranean ports accounted for 68 % of all cruise passengers arriving in Spain in 2016, and with 5.8 million passengers, they experienced a combined growth of 5% compared to 2015. Their main destinations include some of Europe's most important ports: Barcelona with 2.68 million, the Balearic Islands with 1.95 million, Malaga with 444,000, and Valencia with 403,000 passengers. In addition, other Mediterranean destinations experienced significant increases, such as Cartagena (+24.5%) and Almeria (+65.8%).
The Canary Islands ports, with nearly 2 million cruise passengers and a 22.9% share of the national market, experienced a 9% decline.
The remaining Spanish ports on the Atlantic coast , in fierce competition with their Portuguese counterparts, saw a 4.2% drop in traffic, nearly 30,000 passengers, bringing the total to 723,256 cruise passengers and an 8.3% share of the national total . However, some ports on the Cantabrian coast experienced significant growth. Gijón, for example, doubled its total cruise passengers to 32,700, and Bilbao saw a 22.7% increase.
According to the Port Authorities' forecasts, cruise traffic will continue to grow in the coming years at a rate of between 1.5-3%, potentially exceeding 9.5 million cruise passengersin 2020.
- STRONG SPANISH REPRESENTATION UNDER THE “BLUE CARPET” EMBLEM
Nearly 40 companies, including Port Authorities and suppliers of services and products, will meet at the “PortsofSpain” stand at the Seatrade Cruise Global trade fair to be held from March 13 to 16 in Fort Lauderdale (USA).
With a well-established image and messaging, and under the slogan “Blue Carpet: Step into Spain through world-class ports, Puertos del Estado (State is hosting the Port Authorities of A Coruña, Alicante, Almería, Algeciras Bay, Cádiz Bay, the Balearic Islands, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cartagena, Castellón, Ceuta, Ferrol, Huelva, Málaga, Motril, Seville, Tarragona, Valencia, and Vigo at its stand. Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife are integrated into a specific area called “Cruises Atlantic Islands.”
- SPAIN, IN THE TOP 5 IN EUROPE
According to data provided by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA Europe), with a direct economic contribution of €1.323 billion, Spain remained the fourth largest European market benefiting from the cruise industry in 2015, representing a 9.5% increase over the previous year. Since 2008, the economic contribution in Spain has grown by 22.5%. Furthermore, the cruise industry generated a total of 28,576 jobs in Spain, 12.1% more than in 2014.
Spain remained the second most visited European country by cruise passengers in 2015, second only to Italy. Specifically, 5.93 million cruise passengers visited Spanish ports. Spain also ranked second as a port of embarkation, with 1.28 million passengers. Furthermore, a total of 466,000 Spaniards chose a cruise for their holidays in 2015, representing a 3% increase compared to the previous year.
Regarding national ports, the Port of Barcelona remains the leading port in Europe and fourth in the world, handling 2.68 million passengers in 2016. Meanwhile, the Port of Palma de Mallorca has achieved third place with over 1.72 million passengers. Las Palmas occupies seventh position with 1.1 million passengers, and Tenerifetenth with over 884,000.
