On June 27, the TUI Cruises ship Mein Schiff 2 will call at the Port of Valencia. It will be the first cruise ship to dock at the Valencian port since the central government declared a state of emergency and prohibited this activity 15 months ago. This is a coastal cruise with a peninsular itinerary and will dock at Cruise Terminal 1 on June 27, with a second call scheduled for July 11.
This was announced by Francesca Antonelli, head of cruises at the Port Authority of Valencia (APV), who highlighted "the excitement surrounding this event, which the sector has been eagerly awaiting." Specifically, the Mein Schiff 2 is a cruise ship that travels a route around Spain and will dock in Valencia, arriving from Alicante and continuing on to Barcelona. "It's important to emphasize that this first ship to visit us is following a peninsular itinerary; it's not an international cruise. Right now, cruise lines have to revise their routes, reposition their ships, hire crew, and, of course, put cabins on sale. This will take them a few weeks, and we anticipate that the first international cruises will arrive at the Port of Valencia in July," Antonelli stated.
The Official State Gazette (BOE) published this Saturday the Resolution of the Directorate General of the Merchant Marine, which lifts the ban on the arrival of international cruise ships to Spanish ports, effective June 7. Cruise ships will dock in Valencia in accordance with a series of health and safety measures, following the guidelines agreed upon by the Ministries of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda and Health. “The cruise ships that used to arrive in Spain traveled the route with France and Italy. Now, with the ban lifted in all these countries, there is a green light to resume operations. Shipping companies are already working on repositioning their ships to once again serve international cruises on this itinerary,” Francesca Antonelli emphasized.
During her presentation, the cruise line manager explained that TIU complies with the safety and prevention measures outlined in the "COVID-19 Control and Prevention Protocol for Cruise Ships Docking in Ports of the Valencian Community," established by the Valencian Ministry of Health. Furthermore, the operator has also implemented specific measures for managing COVID-19 and Contingency Plans that inform port facilities and destinations of the procedures and preventative actions.
“The protocols are exhaustive. They include antigen and PCR tests before boarding for all passengers and crew, protocols for separating passenger flows, social distancing, health checks during transit operations such as those that will take place in Valencia, and, very importantly for the public, visits to the city will be in 'bubble' excursions, with passengers not allowed to explore independently,” stated Francesca Antonelli, who emphasized the responsibility and awareness of the shipping companies. In fact, the Mein Schiff 2, 316 meters long and built in 2019, is a state-of-the-art, fully sustainable vessel. It will arrive with a maximum of 655 crew members and 60% of its passenger capacity, specifically 1,879. Furthermore, it has isolation areas and additional medical resources to address any incidents.
The head of cruises at the Port Authority of Valencia (APV) explained that “during these months all the companies involved (Port Authority, shipping agents, terminal, tour operators, etc.), the Ministry of Health, the Valencian Government's Tourism Department, and Valencia Tourism have worked intensively to guarantee the safety of cruise passengers, port workers, and the Valencia destination at all times.” “This is safe tourism,” she continued, “with strict safety protocols and new routes that diversify the excursion options offered by ships docked in Valencia, all prepared for the new normal.”.
Thus, in addition to the stringent protocols established by cruise lines to enhance the safety of the destination, passengers, and crew, the Port Authority of Valencia (APV) and the cruise community have developed a diverse range of tourist activities within the city and its surroundings, including "bubble" excursions. These will be exclusively guided tours, with no option for passengers to disembark independently, offering more destinations of interest, smaller groups, and more outdoor experiences. Besides sightseeing tours of the city by bus, or outdoor routes through the Albufera Natural Park or the L'Horta Natural Park, there are also options in destinations such as Requena, Sagunto, and Vall d'Uixó, among others.
The reopening of the cruise sector was eagerly awaited by everyone involved in this activity: businesses, commerce, hospitality, tour guides, transportation, cultural services, and food services, among others. The 15-month hiatus in cruise tourism in Valencia has meant that the city and its surrounding area have lost approximately 70 million euros (initial investment plus revenue in the city's economic sectors), according to a study conducted by the Valenciaport Foundation in collaboration with the Polytechnic University of Valencia.
The city of Valencia is a medium-sized and sustainable cruise destination, with annual growth of 2%, approximately 400,000 visitors, and 200 port calls per year. Thus, the Port Authority of Valencia (APV) had projected around 450,000 tourists for this year in a normal year before COVID-19. “These are forecasts we don't know now because the cruise lines have to reorganize their itineraries and port calls. What we do know is that the cruise industry is eager to return to normal,” Francesca Antonelli explained.
