A delegation from the Port of Malaga and representatives from Malaga Destination held meetings with the main US shipping companies between February 16 and 19 to continue strengthening their international positioning in relation to cruise tourism, following the celebration of the last two editions of Seatrade Cruise Med in Malaga and participation in the most important events in the sector, such as Seatrade Cruise Global and Seatrade Europe.
In this way, itinerary planning managers and company executives had the opportunity to learn about port services for the ship and the passenger, as well as the destination's proposals on routes and tourist experiences adapted to the cruise passenger's demand.
The commercial action was led by representatives of the Port Authority, Málagaport Foundation, Tourism Area of the Malaga City Council, Tourism and Planning Costa del Sol and Malaga Cruise Port, with the collaboration of the Ministry of Tourism and Andalusian Foreign Affairs of the Andalusian Regional Government, as well as Extenda and the Spanish Tourism Office (OET) in Miami.
The joint effort continues to be viewed very positively by the cruise lines, as in a single meeting they have access to information on port operations and shore excursions, which provides a comprehensive view of the experience and facilitates decision-making.
As a closing event for these professional meetings, the delegation hosted a dinner at the official residence of the Miami consul, Belén Alfaro, where the shipping company representatives were able to sample Malaga's cuisine alongside local executives, with whom they continued discussions to promote the destination's strengths, its strategic location, and its state-of-the-art port infrastructure.
This marketing initiative comes amid strong growth in cruise tourism in Malaga, which closed 2025 with 570,481 passengers and 331 port calls, solidifying its position as one of the leading destinations in the Western Mediterranean. The positive trend in these figures over recent years reflects the cruise lines' confidence in the potential of the Spanish market. The challenge for Malaga, in particular, is to increase homeport calls to further boost the economy of the city, the province, and the region.
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