The current cruise season in the ports under the jurisdiction of the Port Authority of Las Palmas (Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria) is already exceeding the 2019 figures by more than 3%, while works such as the construction of new terminals, extension of docks and dikes are being undertaken to guarantee a bright future.
Article from CruisesNews magazine no. 67 – December 2023
The pleasant autumn and winter weather in the Macaronesian islands, primarily the Canary Islands and Madeira, which are part of the Cruise Atlantic Islands association, makes them an ideal cruise destination during that time of year. Thus, 81% of the cruise ship calls occur between October and April, with an average of 30 to 40 calls per month, while in the summer months these numbers drop to just 2 or 3.
Although it is preferable to evaluate the seasons from October to May, for example, to make comparisons, at this time of year if we take as a reference the traffic between January and October 2023 compared to the same months of 2019 we see an increase of 4.05%, so the long-awaited complete post-pandemic recovery is already in sight.
Pending the final figures for November and December, the expectation is to reach a total of 1,500,000 passengers, which will represent an increase of around 1.5% or 2.0%.
In Fuerteventura, the docks will also be expanded and a transit cruise terminal will be built.
Aida, TUI, Marella and P&O are the main shipping companies in the island ports, with the first two dedicated to the German market, and the following two to the British market.
Ports, works in progress and planned
All ports dependent on the Port Authority of Las Palmas have planned improvement or expansion works, but the implementation of electricity supply to cruise ships, a priority for all ports in the European Union, is not considered here due to the inability of the island's electricity grid to assume that additional effort.
GRAN CANARIA
The Port of Las Palmas has four docks totaling 1,823 m of berthing space in the Santa Catalina cruise ship area.
After demolishing the old cruise terminal, construction has just begun on a new one, which is scheduled to open in September 2025.
It will be a terminal with a footprint of 12,000 m2 and a constructed area of 32,000 m2, with the capacity to serve 4 ships at the same time and operations of up to 10,000 passengers embarking/disembarking.
The works are being carried out by Global Ports Canary Island SL with an investment of €32M.
In 2025, the Santa Catalina dock will be extended by 75 m on the east side from 360 m to 435 m.
The Canary Islands offer a unique combination of unspoiled natural landscapes, charming villages, and a tropical climate, ideal for the autumn/winter season.
Gran Canaria is the second largest of the three islands whose ports are managed by the Port Authority of Las Palmas, but it is also the most diverse. Las Palmas is the largest city, and the urban beach of Las Canteras is within walking distance of the cruise ship terminal.
To the south of the city lies the Vegueta district, declared a National Historic-Artistic Site in April 1973. Its streets have witnessed the passage of pirates, warriors, and inhabitants, whose stories have left their mark on every corner. The centuries-old facades feature beautiful wooden balconies.
The interior of the island, with its rugged terrain, is full of tropical vegetation, such as the Guayadeque Ravine, or Roque Rublo.
Throughout the island there are charming fishing villages, such as Puerto de Mogán, or Puerto de las Nieves, and inland towns frozen in time like Teror.
To the south, the famous Maspalomas Dunes, a dreamlike landscape where you can connect with the land and the ocean.
LANZAROTE
The Port of Arrecife has two piers dedicated to cruise ship traffic. The Muelle de los Mármoles (Marble Pier) has a length of 840 m, of which 150 m are for ferries and 690 m for cruise ships, with a draft of 14 m. A second pier, 400 m long, has a draft of 20 m.
On the other hand, there is the Naos Wharf, with 350 m of berthing space and a draft of 12 m. This wharf will be extended by 180 m in 2024, with an investment of €13.5M, and in 2026 by another 160 m to reach a total of 690 m.
Both at Muelle de los Mármoles and Muelle de Naos, new cruise passenger terminals are being built and will be completed throughout 2024. The terminal at Muelle de Naos will have capacity not only for transit, but also for small embarkation/disembarkation operations.
In Lanzarote, the Naos dock will be expanded and two terminals will be built, one of them with capacity for small embarkation/disembarkation operations.
Lanzarote is the smallest of the three islands, roughly half the size of Gran Canaria or Fuerteventura, but it has much to offer tourists. Local artist César Manrique dotted the island with works that are well worth a visit. From Jameos del Agua, a volcanic tube transformed into a paradise that is home to a unique species of crab, to Mirador del Río, a viewpoint atop a cliff that offers a unique perspective on the scale of humanity and the earth.
Among the spaces bequeathed by César Manrique is his house, now the César Manrique Foundation, which is no ordinary house, as it cleverly incorporates lava-formed hollows to create rooms. Likewise, a visit to the Cueva de los Verdes volcanic grotto is a truly unique experience that culminates in a surprising finale, and the Cactus Garden, Manrique's favorite project, is home to 4,500 specimens of 400 species from around the world.
Fuerteventura -
Puerto del Rosario currently has a 390-meter-long pier with an 11-meter draft. A new transit cruise passenger terminal is under construction by Global Ports, and in 2024, a public tender will be issued for the extension of the port's main breakwater and seawall, which will allow for the expansion of the cruise ship berthing area in the medium term, with a second 400-meter pier.
Fuerteventura is the largest of the three islands, but also the least populated, as its territory is mostly untouched and stands out especially for its endless paradisiacal beaches.
The Port of Las Palmas begins construction of a new cruise terminal with capacity to serve 4 ships.
The Corralejo Dunes, a few kilometers north of Puerto del Rosario, are the largest dunes in the Canary Islands, a small desert that ends in crystal clear waters of vivid turquoise or intense blue colors.
Fuerteventura is full of strange natural landscapes, such as Playa de las Cotufas (Copcorn Beach). "Cotufas" is the Canary Islands word for popcorn, and this beach is indeed formed from the skeletons of algae called rhodoliths, which look exactly like popcorn kernels.
Northwest of Puerto del Rosario is the Sacred Mountain of Tindaya, a peak of approximately 400 m in altitude, full of mysticism because more than 300 engravings with foot shapes have been found there, whose meaning is still not clear.
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