The president of the Port Authority of Seville (APS), Francisco Martín, announced this morning that the port's forecast for 2022 includes the arrival of 18 cruise ships , "mostly small and medium-sized, and luxury" vessels. The port's top official noted that this figure represents "not only the second highest in the port's history" but also "the recovery of traffic that suffered particularly during the pandemic." Martín emphasized that this is an industry "with high purchasing power" that also contributes "to reducing the seasonality of tourism."
It should be noted that, until 2019, the year in which 21 cruise ships called at Santander, the annual average ranged between 8 and 13 ships of this type and that, during the last two years, only 3 have visited the port due to the ban on international cruise ships docking in state ports.
Martín also emphasized the importance of the agreements reached by the Port Authority of Santander (APS), the Government of Cantabria, and the Santander City Council to create the Santander Cruise Deluxe brand, which aims to "promote and nurture this traffic so that Santander can become a leading cruise port on the northern coast of the Iberian Peninsula." This recognition, according to the port president, will be further enhanced "with the construction of the new ferry terminal at the Maliaño docks, allowing the Maritime Station to be dedicated exclusively to cruise traffic."
For his part, the Minister of Tourism for the Government of Cantabria and Vice President of the Port Authority, Javier López Marcano, praised the port's forecasts, linking them to the general trend of a "gradual tourism recovery following the pandemic." Marcano believes that the activity of cruise passengers is a sign of the renewed interest in travel that has emerged after the implementation of strict health measures and the guarantees provided by vaccination. With health habits and procedures that ensure the safety of travelers and that are now ingrained in both users and professionals, the Cantabrian Minister highlighted the strategic potential of the Port of Santander and its bay to boost tourism in Cantabria. "The port is an attractive gateway to discovering the valuable heritage of the Cantabrian region, and our efforts should be focused on extending the stay of cruise passengers to give them the opportunity to visit the surrounding tourist attractions."
The cruise season in Cantabria is expected to run from April to October, with the Spirit of Adventure being the first ship to call at the Santander dock. This 236-meter-long vessel, belonging to the Saga company, has a maximum capacity of 1,000 passengers and will be handled by Pérez y Cía. Also noteworthy are the arrival of the Ventura , from Carnival P&O, which will visit Santander six times, and the World Voyager , from Mystic Cruises , which will visit twice. The World and Amadea cruise ships are scheduled to stay overnight at the dock.
In addition, nine of the eighteen ships will arrive at the Cantabrian port for the first time.
The maximum capacity of these ships is 23,471 cruise passengers, although this may be reduced if restrictions on this type of traffic continue.
The port of Santander is located in an area of the Atlantic Arc traditionally known as a "repositioning" zone for cruise ships, meaning the period when they travel from the Mediterranean to Northern Europe or the Caribbean. In fact, itineraries that include the port are usually from Hamburg or the South of the United Kingdom to Lisbon, French ports, or from South to North. These voyages typically last 8 to 12 days, with an average port stay of 6 to 8 hours.
