The president of the Port Authority of Almería, Jesús Caicedo, met with the regional delegates for Employment, Emilio Ortiz, and Tourism, Vicente García Egea, and agreed to launch a joint strategy between the Port Authority, public administrations, and the private sector to boost cruise tourism in the province. The objective, as they concurred, is to establish a forum where the Port, the Regional Government of Andalusia, the Provincial Council, the City Council of Almería, businesses, and other sectors related to tourism can develop a program of initiatives to strengthen Almería as a cruise tourism destination.
Jesús Caicedo, who was accompanied by the head of the Commercial and Quality division of the Port Authority, José Antonio Cuesta, is confident that, with collaboration between institutions and the tourism sector, “Almería will be able to attract more cruise ship calls, since its heritage, cultural, scenic and gastronomic offerings are a sufficiently attractive draw for shipping companies and tour operators when choosing destinations.”.
Regarding the Port, Jesús Caicedo has reported on the reduction in fees applied by the APA to cruise lines that call at Almería, a reduction that can be applied now – once the State Budgets have included the new rates – and which will allow the Port of Almería to be as competitive as other Mediterranean ports, once the measures to combat the pandemic allow the resumption of activity, which has been interrupted since March 2020.
In the medium term, Caicedo highlighted the significant investment that the Port Authority of Almería (APA) will make to improve port infrastructure for cruise ship calls. This includes the expansion and adaptation project of the Levante Wharf for cruise traffic, which will be undertaken alongside the planned environmental restoration of the Almadrabillas waterfront. The design for this restoration project, which will be completed next summer, will lay the groundwork for the first action of the Master Plan for the future Port-City. The project aims to expand the wharf's surface area and, at the same time, provide it with the necessary draft and infrastructure to allow for its proper use both for cruise ship berthing and for public use and enjoyment. To this end, the project also includes the construction of a new breakwater on the eastern side – the Rambla area – as well as the adaptation of the western section of the existing wharf.
The president of the APA has expressed his gratitude for the interest shown by the representatives of the Government of the Junta de Andalucía in Almería, and has also valued the coordinated logistics and commercial action plan of the Andalusian ports in which the Junta de Andalucía and the port authorities of the autonomous community are working, a plan that –among other broader objectives– will also contribute to boosting cruise tourism.
