For the second consecutive time, the Excellence Cruise Awards gala was held at the Tenerife Auditorium, the main center for the production of shows in the Canary Islands, on February 1, 2024.
Article from CruisesNews magazine , issue no. 68 – March 2024.
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This performance space, located in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and designed by the architect Santiago Calatrava, was inaugurated in 2003. This auditorium has become an emblem of the city of Santa Cruz and the island of Tenerife. It is the most modern civil building in the Canary Islands and, of course, a major tourist attraction. It currently hosts the seasons of the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra and the Tenerife Opera.
The gala brought together more than 260 guests, including cruise line executives from abroad who were captivated by the auditorium's striking architecture. Attendees ranged from cruise line executives, tour operators, and shipping agents to representatives from ports, travel agents, business owners, and industry suppliers.
The grand gala of the cruise industry
This was the seventeenth edition of the awards ceremony organized by Cruises News Media Group, which previously took place in cities such as Barcelona, Palma, Malaga, Cartagena, A Coruña and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.
Guests began arriving at the Auditorium from 7 pm onwards, and were welcomed in the hall with champagne and the charms of four marine creatures recreated with the Body Painting technique by the company “MiArteFactor” who posed in the photocall with the guests, adding a mysterious and special touch.
The awards ceremony was opened by the president of the Tenerife Port Authority, Pedro Suárez López de Vergara, who reaffirmed in his opening speech the entity's commitment to cruise traffic.
We also had the opportunity to hear at the beginning of the gala from José Manuel Bermúdez, mayor of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, who also agreed on the importance of the tourism that the city receives thanks to the industry and the economic enrichment that the sector provides.
We had the honor of enjoying the work of comedian and showman Mr. Corrales, who hosted the gala and filled the auditorium with laughter, creating a comfortable and, above all, fun atmosphere. Furthermore, this year we had the privilege of enjoying a thrilling performance by the artist Mr. Dyvinetz, who entertained the awards ceremony with two CYR wheel shows featuring LED lighting, dazzling the audience, especially the dignitaries in the front row, as the wheel rotated just inches from them. In short, the audience had the opportunity to enjoy an entertaining and engaging gala.
This edition has been promoted and sponsored by the Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife in collaboration with other public and private organizations such as Puertos del Estado, Fred Olsen Express, Loro Parque Animal Embassy, Turismo de Tenerife, Cabildo de Tenerife, Ayuntamiento de Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Sociedad de Desarrollo, Puertos Canarios and Turismo de las Islas Canarias.
The Excellence Awards recognized winners in various categories, from the best ships and cuisine to the best itineraries and onboard entertainment. Among the award recipients were the Port of Barcelona as Best Spanish Cruise Port 2023, Costa Cruises as Best First Cruise Line 2023, MSC World Europe as Best Ship in the Mediterranean 2023, and Royal Caribbean International as Best Family Cruise Line 2023, receiving the Excellence Award for Loro Parque, among many other winners.
In addition, Cruises News Media Group dedicated a section of the gala to presenting its own special awards, which were given to Virgin Voyages, Windstar Cruises and Intercruises Shoreside Port Services for the celebration of their 20th anniversary.
Ports of Tenerife also presented awards to several local companies and institutions, both for their commitment to Tenerife and for their humanitarian and social work.
After the gala, a dinner was held in the special setting of the Tenerife Auditorium, overlooking the sea and featuring an excellent menu that all the guests were able to enjoy while exchanging impressions after the awards ceremony.
The prestigious Excellence Cruise Awards, a benchmark in the international cruise industry, were first held in Barcelona in 2008 and are chosen by cruise passengers and travel agencies through online voting. They are a brand of Cruises News Media Group, organizer of the International Cruise Summit in Madrid and publisher of CruisesNews magazine.
Tenerife breaks cruise records.
According to data from the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Port Authority, between January and September 2023, the five ports it manages received almost twice as many cruise passengers as in the same period of the previous year. There were 662,260 passengers compared to 346,741 in 2022, a 91% increase. However, the number of ships has decreased by 13.6%, indicating that the cruise ships arriving are larger.
This season, the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife will welcome some of the world's most luxurious cruise ships, such as the Silver Moon and the Seven Seas Splendor, as well as some of the largest, including the Iona, the Arvia, and the MSC Virtuosa. New arrivals include the Queen Anne, the Sun Princess, and the Mein Schiff 7.
Editions held:
2008: Barcelona;
2009 to 2013: Malaga;
2014 and 2015: Palma de Mallorca;
2016 to 2019: Cartagena;
2020: A Coruña;
2021: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria;
2022: A Coruña
; 2023 and 2024: Tenerife
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