March 2, 2018 (Ministry of Public Works). The Spanish Port Authority (Puertos del Estado) is once again rolling out the blue carpet to present the wide and varied range of tourism and promotional opportunities offered by Spanish ports and cities to the sector at Seatrade Cruise Global, the world's leading cruise trade show, held in Fort Lauderdale, USA . The "Ports of Spain" stand will feature a large representation of Port Authorities and companies promoting destinations, services, and products .
Thanks to the government's strong commitment, along with the work of other public administrations and private sector initiatives, Spain has achieved a leading position in the global cruise industry, surpassing 9.2 million cruise ship visitors for the first time in its history . Furthermore, Spain is the second largest European destination for cruise passengers, and several Spanish ports lead European rankings and are even among the top 50 ports in the world, such as Barcelona, the Balearic and Canary Islands, Málaga, Valencia, Cádiz, Cartagena, and Vigo .
In the last 25 years, the volume of cruise passengers has multiplied by 18, going from just over 480,000 visitors in 1992, to the aforementioned 9.2 million in 2017.
Five years ago , the “Blue Carpet” campaign was launched , a distinctive feature of State Ports with a very consolidated image, under the slogan “Blue Carpet: Step into Spain through world class ports”, which has been perceived from abroad with great success and to which the Spanish Port Authorities, institutions and companies have joined, with the aim of consolidating and increasing their presence abroad .
In this way, the global image of Spain and its industry have been decisively positioned in our ports, with the idea of conveying to all tourists who visit us from any Spanish port, that a "Blue Carpet" unfolds from our ports towards the interior of Spain, its towns and cities.
- Mediterranean ports and islands account for 90% of the national total
Spain's potential as a tourist destination is reflected in cruise tourism, and more specifically in the most popular destinations for visitors to the country: the Mediterranean and the islands. Of the 9.27 million cruise passengers who arrived at a Spanish port in 2017, more than 8.3 million visited ports on the Mediterranean coast or in the Balearic and Canary Islands. It's no coincidence that for several years now, the ports of Barcelona and the Balearic Islands have consistently ranked among the most visited ports in Europe, placing them among the world's top 10 most popular destinations.
Similarly, the average for ports on the Atlantic coast continues to grow, although more modestly (+2.3%), with remarkable figures in some of them such as A Coruña, which grew by 45% with more than 184,000 passengers.
However, according to experts, our country still has significant growth potential. Factors such as the reduction of seasonality, the diversification of destinations, the strengthening of our ports as embarkation/disembarkation points, combined with cheaper air and sea transport, have made cruises accessible to a broad segment of the population, with very competitive prices and a wide variety of options. Thus, according to the Port Authorities' forecasts, cruise traffic will continue to grow in the coming years at a rate of between 1.5% and 3%, potentially exceeding 9.5 million cruise passengers by 2020.
- The government will continue to take measures to boost the cruise industry
The importance of ports and cruise tourism as drivers of the Spanish economy is undeniable. The cruise industry's contribution to our economy is significant, generating over €1.255 billion in revenue in Spain ; providing direct, indirect, and induced employment for more than 26,400 people ; and representing 10.9% of the national tourism sector's GDP . Furthermore, cruise tourism promotes other regions of the country, including domestic tourism.
The State Ports Authority and the Ministry of Public Works have provided support to the sector as much as possible. Through the General State Budget, port infrastructure usage costs have been reduced; basic port usage fees have been lowered by 5%, and occupancy fees by 8.5%, to enhance competitiveness; and concession periods have been extended to a maximum of 50 years to incentivize private investment. Furthermore, the vessel tax has been reduced by 50% to encourage cruise ship emissions reductions, both for those powered by liquefied natural gas and those connected to electricity in port. These measures have lowered operating costs and encouraged shipping companies and operators to increase their presence in our ports.
In 2018, special tax treatment will continue to be applied to cruise ships, meaning a 70% reduction will be applied to the basic amount of the vessel tax . If the ship is a home port, an additional 56% reduction will be applied to the resulting amount. Furthermore, incentives for frequent use of port facilities as home ports will continue to be offered, with reductions applied when ships from the same company call at least 12 times. Regarding passenger taxes , cruise passengers in transit will receive a 0.75% reduction in the basic applicable tax .
- €346M ALLOCATED TO PASSENGER FACILITIES AND PORT-CITY RELATIONS IN THE PERIOD 2017-2021
Port system investment in passenger facilities between 2000 and 2016 totaled €282.7 million, and a further €285 million is planned for the period 2017-2021. These investments are in addition to those already allocated and planned for improving port-city relations, which amounted to €240.4 million between 2000 and 2016, with an additional €61.77 million planned for the period 2017-2021.
These investments demonstrate that it is both possible and desirable to reconcile peak passenger flows with the well-being of citizens. The powers and responsibilities of local councils allow them to promote and contribute to meeting the needs and aspirations of both residents and visitors. Supporting cruise tourism and recreational boating is an investment in cities, in a different kind of tourism—one that is environmentally responsible and values our culture. It is also an investment in an economic sector capable of generating employment and economic activity in the ports and cities that host them.
