The Port of Cartagena has secured eight new port calls starting in July through the AIDA shipping company, positioning Cartagena as a safe and high-quality destination in the face of Covid-19. “We have the confidence of the first shipping companies that are reactivating national cruise tourism on the Spanish peninsula, which means ten ships will dock at the Cruise Terminal starting in June,” stated the president of the APC, Yolanda Muñoz.
Muñoz stated that "this is the second shipping company to choose the Port of Cartagena as a stop on national routes through Spanish Mediterranean ports, which will boost the return of international cruises to the Region in July," following the announcement by State Ports at the FITUR international tourism fair.
The first cruise from AIDA will depart on July 14th, continuing through August, September, and October, with eight stops on a route that will depart from and return to the port of Palma de Mallorca aboard the hybrid ship AIDAperla. The itinerary will be very similar to that of TUI, which will bring two cruises to Cartagena on June 19th and July 3rd, after more than a year of paralysis in the sector due to Covid-19.
This means that Cartagena will increase its cruise ship docking forecasts at the Cartagena dock terminal, "great news that will benefit hoteliers and merchants as the health restrictions imposed by the pandemic improve," said the president of the APC.
Yolanda Muñoz recalled that “the measures taken by the Autonomous Community and the promotional work done by the Port Authority in meetings with shipping companies throughout the pandemic, with the support of the Cartagena City Council, have positioned us as a safe and attractive destination with a varied and safe tourist offer.”.
The AIDAperla, a vessel that will sail the Spanish Mediterranean on routes beginning in July, has a capacity of over 4,000 passengers and is a hybrid ship with a 10,000 kWh lithium-ion battery system. The battery allows for zero-emission operation while docked in ports and saves fuel by reducing peak consumption during hybrid operation at sea.
