The Vigo Port Authority's meeting room hosted the members of the Cruise Tourism working group. The session was opened by the port's top official, Jesús Vázquez Almuiña, and was attended by a broad representation of the main stakeholders involved in this sector: the Director of Tourism of Galicia, Nava Castro, and the Director of Tourism Promotion of Galicia, Carmen Pita, who participated remotely; the Xunta's delegate in Vigo, Marta Fernández-Tapias; as well as representatives from the Port Health Authority, the Galician Health Service (SERGAS), the National Police, the Civil Guard, the Professional Association of Tourist Guides of Galicia (APIT Galicia), terminal operators, shipping agents, shipping companies, hoteliers, retailers, freight forwarders, companies related to the tourism sector, the Galician Association of Nautical Activities (Agan+), and the Foundation for Fishing and Shellfishing (Fundamar).
As Jesús Vázquez Almuiña pointed out, cruise ship traffic is a fundamental activity for tourism in Galicia. In this regard, he acknowledged the work carried out by both the Spanish Ministry of Health's International Health Service and its counterpart in Galicia, which have coordinated effectively from the outset.
For her part, the Xunta's delegate in Vigo affirmed that "it is time to look ahead, be optimistic, and take advantage of all possible synergies to position Vigo in a privileged place," offering the full support of the regional government in this regard. The Director of Tourism Promotion for Galicia expressed the Xunta's willingness to collaborate on all promotional activities necessary to boost tourist arrivals by sea, while also offering their assistance as intermediaries with the Spanish government to access Next Generation EU funds.
The objective of the Cruise Tourism working group is to make Vigo a preferred destination for cruise passengers, consolidate the Port as a stop of excellence for shipping companies and ensure a well-publicized, diverse tourist offer adapted to cruise users.
Current state
During the meeting, more than thirty representatives from different organizations and entities analyzed the results of the past campaign and the forecasts for 2022, in which the Port of Vigo expects the arrival of around 90 cruise ships and some 175,000 passengers.
New Plan 2021-2027
The working group reviewed the main indicators of the Blue Growth Plan led by the Port of Vigo since 2016, which, in its first stage, has managed to reduce emissions to the atmosphere by 31%, recover 252,000 m2 of port area, increase traffic by 17% and train more than 2,100 workers, in addition to achieving nearly 200 public-private collaborations.
The new strategy launched by the current port president for the period 2021-2027 is based on three strategic pillars:
- Green Deal to achieve compatibility between port industrial activity and good environmental status;
- Digitization, which will address innovation efforts to extend the digitization of processes;
- The humanization of the facilities and activities, managing to position itself as an inclusive port.
