The ships Wind Star and Wind Surf, carrying 140 passengers, mostly American, have docked at the Cartagena port's Cruise Terminal in a new double cruise stop that positions Cartagena as one of Spain's leading cruise destinations, with 77 calls planned for 2021 and nearly 70,000 tourists, since the first docking on June 19 after the pandemic, according to the Port Authority's president, Yolanda Muñoz.
Muñoz noted that “in addition to the planned calls for this year, three new ships have been added in the last week, arriving at the Port on the 7th, 8th and 27th of this month, consolidating November as the second best month with 26 calls and more than 25,000 tourists, mostly Americans and British.”.
Cruise activity is beginning to recover this year, “we expect to return to 100% in 2022,” explained Muñoz, highlighting that “we are an attractive destination due to our wide range of tourist offerings and our rich archaeological and cultural heritage; we are a safe destination with COVID certifications in our museums, interpretation centers, Cruise Terminal, shops and restaurants; and, finally, shipping companies are choosing this port thanks to the excellent commercial work carried out by the Port Authority, in collaboration with the Cartagena City Council and the Regional Government.”.
To date, the port of Cartagena has received five double cruise ship calls, and at least two more are scheduled, on November 9th and 23rd. Additionally, three triple calls are expected on November 10th, 11th, and 16th, carrying approximately 2,300, 1,000, and 1,400 passengers, respectively.
To date, 48 cruise ships have docked in Cartagena, carrying nearly 36,000 passengers. These arrivals have been crucial to the economic recovery of Cartagena and the surrounding region, in a sector that suffered greatly during the pandemic. This represents a definitive boost for the reactivation of tourism and a stimulus for closely linked sectors such as commerce, restaurants, culture, and passenger transport.
The mega-sail ship “Wind Surf,” from Windstar Cruises, considered one of the largest sailing vessels of its kind, has docked in Cartagena for the third time this year, sailing from Palma de Mallorca to Málaga. This is not the first time the “Wind Surf” has called at Cartagena. Its first visit was in 2009, and it visited Cartagena every year since then until the pandemic
The Wind Star, also from Windstar Cruises, is an elegant sailing ship measuring 134 meters in length and 4.11 meters in draft. It stands out for its 74 cabins—all exterior—with a meticulously designed interior and attention to detail. It was built in 1983 and refurbished in 2013.
