The Port Authority of A Coruña participated in a technical conference in Castellón on the social and economic impact of cruises and recreational boating, which brought together professionals from both sectors, from both the public and private sectors.
The meeting was organized by the Port Authority of Castellón, with the collaboration of the City Council, the Provincial Council of Castellón and the firm Simetría, and managed by Cruises News and AWP Services.
At the invitation of the organizers, the Port Authority of A Coruña explained in detail the strategy it has applied in recent years in the cruise sector, which has led it to multiply the number of stops and passengers, consolidating itself as the leading port on the entire Cantabrian-Atlantic coast, from Lisbon to northern France.
The event was attended by the president of the Port Authority, Martín Fernández Prado, and the director of the organization, Juan Diego Pérez. The latter detailed the evolution of the sector in the city and the initiatives that have been implemented to achieve its growth. He summarized the strategy in five points: infrastructure improvements, opening of docks, tariff offerings, tourism offerings, and promotion of the sector.
Regarding infrastructure, he mentioned the opening of the Calvo Sotelo and San Diego docks for multiple ship calls, in addition to the Transatlantic Dock. This dock, dedicated almost exclusively to cruise ships, has complete infrastructure and services to cater to both ships and passengers, such as tourist information, spaces for security forces, a duty-free shop, and parking areas for buses and taxis. The dock will be reinforced in the coming months to accommodate the size of the new ships, and the process of supplying electricity to cruise ships during their port calls is underway.
The transformation of the Marina and Parrote waterfront is another key point he mentioned. The pedestrianization of this area, which hosts numerous civic activities, provides travelers with convenient pedestrian access to the city center of A Coruña and is highly valued by tourists.
Regarding the tariff offer, he explained the agreement reached by the Port Authority with the companies that provide basic port services, which reduced their rates and fees for tourist ships, which helped to make the port more attractive and generated a greater volume of business, with the arrival of ships from more than 30 shipping companies.
Finally, he alluded to the promotion of the port and the destination in the main international forums, other communication actions and the collaboration with public bodies, museums and tourist centers of A Coruña and the metropolitan area to publicize the offer and the experiences that can be lived during the stops in the port.
A Coruña has experienced extraordinary growth in cruise traffic, increasing from 58 port calls and 53,000 passengers in 2009 to the more than 160 ships and 360,000 passengers projected for this year. Estimates for 2025 point to further growth, which would mean breaking the tourist record for the fourth consecutive year. The economic impact on the city and metropolitan area exceeds €30 million, including direct spending by passengers and crew, as well as the repercussions for the tourism sector, port companies, transportation, supplies, and other related businesses.
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