With 3,487,507 cruise passengers between January and July 2022, Spain confirms its commitment to cruise tourism. While there are clear differences between the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and the Cantabrian Sea, all of Spain's ports of general interest have experienced significant increases compared to 2021, resulting in an average percentage growth of 781.8%.
This significant growth is justified by the gradual lifting of restrictions imposed on passenger traffic during the pandemic and the progressive recovery of destinations. However, the cruise lines themselves have preferred to be cautious, opting not to operate cruises at maximum passenger capacity. This has meant that, despite 2,384 cruise ships arriving at Spanish ports in the first seven months of 2022, compared to 2,231 in 2019—reaching a new all-time record—the number of cruise passengers is still 38.5% lower than in that record-breaking year.
By geographical area, the Mediterranean Sea, with more than 2.3 million passengers, has accounted for 2/3 of the cruise passengers who passed through Spanish ports, with the port of Barcelona being the undisputed leader with more than 1 million cruise passengers in the first seven months of the year, followed by the ports of the Balearic Islands with 758,735 passengers, Valencia with 249,377 and Malaga with 131,071 cruise passengers.
In the Atlantic Ocean, the Canary Islands stand out, with 755,176 cruise passengers, and in the peninsular Atlantic it has managed to attract 344,315 cruise passengers in the first seven months of 2022, highlighting the ports of the Bay of Cadiz with 165,683 passengers, A Coruña with 91,932, and Vigo with 71,052.
Finally, the Cantabrian Sea received 70,506 cruise passengers, with Bilbao, at 54,413, being the most prominent port on this coast.
Málaga will host Seatrade Cruise Med, the leading cruise event in Europe. On September 14th and 15th, the world's top cruise lines, operators, and ports will gather at the Málaga Trade Fair and Congress Center. Over two days, a wide range of presentations and lectures will focus on the challenges facing the cruise industry.
Ports of Spain will have a stand where the ports of A Coruña, Alicante, Avilés, Balearic Islands, Bilbao, Cartagena, Castellón, Ceuta, Ferrol, Gijón, Melilla, Santander, Tarragona, Valencia, Vigo, Vilagarcía de Arousa, and the Andalusian ports integrated into Suncruise (Almería, Bay of Algeciras, Bay of Cádiz, Huelva, Málaga, Motril and Seville) will attend to the professionals and visitors attending the fair.
Cruise companies expect to deploy capacity in Spain throughout 2022 that could reach levels almost similar to those before the pandemic, according to data handled by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).
Globally, nearly 100% of the ships that make up the CLIA fleet were already in service since last August, with 2022 being "a vital year for the recovery of pre-pandemic passenger volume (more than 29 million) in 2023.".
The cruise industry in Spain generated more than 50,000 jobs that year and its revenue reached almost €6 billion, according to estimates from CLIA. The association points out that for every 24 cruise passengers, the equivalent of one full-time job is created, and on average, each passenger spends €660 at the destinations they visit during a seven-day cruise.
