Tarragona Cruise Port presented the city of Tarragona at FITUR as an excellent Mediterranean destination. It also announced an agreement with MSC Cruises for the MSC Magnifica cruise ship to make 26 calls at the Port of Tarragona during the 2023 season.
The announcement was made at the State Ports Authority stand at FITUR by Marta Farrero, manager of the Tarragona-Costa Daurada Provincial Council Tourism Board; Víctor Franquet, manager of Tarragona Tourism; Pilar Parra, corporate director of State Ports Authority; and Fernando Pacheco, general manager of MSC Cruises in Spain. With this promotional initiative, Tarragona becomes the embarkation city for the MSC Magnifica cruises during the 2023 season. This 7-night cruise will depart from the Port of Tarragona and sail through the Western Mediterranean, with stops in Toulon (France), Genoa, Civitavecchia/Rome, Livorno/Pisa (Italy), and Valencia.
MSC Cruises and the Port of Tarragona
MSC Cruises arrived in Tarragona in 2022, with a total of eight calls by the MSC Bellissima. The company's season in Tarragona's waters ran from July to October, carrying approximately 38,000 passengers, of whom 8,200 embarked or disembarked at the Port of Tarragona. The forecast for 2023 is to roughly double the figures obtained in 2022, since the ship to be used this season has a smaller passenger capacity than the MSC Bellissima, but three times as many calls are expected.
Fernando Pacheco, Managing Director of MSC Cruises in Spain, explains: “We are delighted to be here today, announcing the Port of Tarragona as a new embarkation port for MSC Cruises, making us the only cruise line to offer it regularly. With this partnership, we will offer 26 port calls in 2023, allowing more than 60,000 national and international tourists to discover the city of Tarragona and all its wonders in a sustainable way. This is made possible through collaboration with local businesses and suppliers, which will allow us to grow alongside the city's economy.”.
For Pacheco, this new route is part of MSC Cruises' commitment to Spanish ports, a strategy we implemented strongly in 2022 that has yielded great results. Moments like today are thanks in part to all the institutions and partners who help us achieve these goals.”.
For her part, Marta Farrero, manager of the Tarragona Provincial Council's Tourism Board, explained that "MSC Cruises' commitment to the Costa Dorada and to making the Port of Tarragona a embarkation point is a further step in consolidating Tarragona and the Costa Dorada as a destination for this type of quality tourism.".
Finally, Víctor Franquet, manager of the Tarragona Tourism Board, highlighted that the city of Tarragona “is committed to a sustainable cruise model, agreed upon with all the institutions represented in the Cruise Board, which will help attract quality tourism that respects the natural environment to our city and the other destinations in the Camp de Tarragona region.”.
Tarragona Cruise Port at FITUR
Tarragona Cruise Port's presence at FITUR 2023 was very well received by visitors and also provided an opportunity to establish new relationships and collaborations with other stakeholders in the tourism sector. It was also a chance to showcase its commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency, as exemplified by the new cruise terminal at the Moll de Baleares.
