The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) today presented the main results of theStatistics & Markets 2016, which contains data on the European cruise outbound market over the past year.
At an event attended by Alfredo Serrano, CLIA's national director in Spain, and Raffaele D'Ambrosio, president of CLIA Spain, the association highlighted the extraordinary growth of the Spanish cruise market in the past year: "Spain experienced strong growth in 2016, consolidating the recovery trend that began the previous year," D'Ambrosio stated. Last year, 486,000 tourists took a cruise in Spain, 20,000 more than in 2015, representing a year-on-year increase of 4.2%. At the European level, the growth trend is also stabilizing. 2016 saw a total of 6,674,000 cruise passengers, a 3.4% increase compared to the previous year.
This upward trend will be further boosted by the construction of new ships, which will significantly increase the number of available berths. In 2017, 12 new ships will be built with a total capacity of over 23,500 berths, adding to the 27 ships built in 2016, which represented an additional 28,566 berths. Thanks to the sector's adaptation to this growth trend, cruise companies will be able to meet the increased demand, resulting in higher cruise sales.
Furthermore, each new generation of ships is "greener" than the previous one and they maintain a strong commitment to the environment.
Spain is growing again and has consolidated its position as the fifth largest European market
The Spanish market continues the positive trend it began in 2015, when, after several years of declining numbers of Spanish passengers, it experienced a 3% improvement over the previous year. Thus, during the 2016 season, 486,000 Spaniards chose a cruise as their preferred vacation option, representing a 4.2% increase compared to 2015. This trend positions Spain as the fifth largest source market for cruise passengers in Europe, alongside Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, and France.
Regarding the main destinations for Spanish tourists in 2016, the Mediterranean and Northern Europe remained stable, accounting for 85% of total traffic. A notable increase in new alternative programs was seen in 2016, growing by 38% from 48,000 to 66,000 passengers, with the Atlantic, the Caribbean, and transatlantic cruises leading this growth.
These figures demonstrate not only the resilience of classic destinations, but also that many Spaniards have opted for more expensive and longer trips. The entry of these new destinations into the rankings has been made possible by the efforts of cruise lines to improve travel from Spain to more distant destinations and offer more exciting and exotic options, such as cruises to Cuba.
