Andalusia has become one of the main strategic points for cruise tourism in Spain. Last year, a total of 994,170 cruise passengers aboard 779 cruise ships arrived at Andalusian ports, representing increases of 3.1% and 3.7%, respectively, compared to the previous year. These figures reveal a record number of port calls.
In the ranking by passenger numbers of the main Spanish ports in this sector, Málaga (which consolidated its activity during the past year) and the Bay of Cádiz (which experienced 9.7% growth in 2018) stand out. Together, these two ports handled 932,257 passengers, representing 93.7% of cruise passengers in Andalusia.
Over the past four years, cruise activity in Andalusia has grown significantly, with a 13.6% increase in passengers and an 18.6% increase in the number of port calls. These figures were presented at the General Assembly of Suncruise Andalusia, an association for the promotion of cruise activity in the Autonomous Community, held today at the Port of Malaga with the participation of the region's seven port authorities.
The Assembly carried out an analysis of the actions undertaken jointly to promote cruise traffic in Andalusia.
Profile of cruise passengers in Andalusia
According to a study conducted by Turismo Andaluz on cruise activity in 2017, the average cruise passenger's spending is 40.6 euros/day.
Furthermore, 87.7% of cruise tourism in the region is international, having given the destination a very positive rating: 9.2 out of 10.
The study also shows how cruise activity increases in the spring and autumn seasons, thus breaking with the seasonality of general tourism, which is more typical of the summer season, and providing a very interesting complement to maintain tourist activity throughout the year.
