Following the stopover yesterday Sunday of the Oceania Cruises ship Sirena, this morning the Ambassador Cruise Line ship Ambience and the Carnival P&O ship Ventura coincided in the Cantabrian dock.
The president of the Port Authority of Santander (APS), César Díaz, announced this morning the arrival at the Port of the third of the five double calls scheduled for this season. This “rare” gives an idea of “the remarkable growth that this tourism segment is experiencing in Cantabria.
Thus, at eight o'clock in the morning, the Ambience, from Ambassador Cruise Line, and the Ventura, belonging to the P&O shipping company, arrived at the port of Santander. Both were consigned by Pérez y Cía.
“With 39 confirmed calls and expectations of reaching nearly 60,000 passengers, we are facing an unprecedented year, confirming that cruise tourism is experiencing one of its best moments in Cantabria,” said
César Díaz, president of the Port Authority of Santander (APS).
The first ship will remain at dock 1-4 in Maliaño with 1,900 passengers, mostly British, and 600 crew members on board, until 2:00 PM, when it will continue its journey to A Coruña. This is the second time this year that the ship, which is 245 meters long, has included Santander in its itinerary.
Meanwhile, the Ventura, docked at the Maritime Station, has 3,300 passengers on board—mostly British—and a crew of 1,200. This ship, which is scheduled to make a total of eight calls in the city this season, will remain at the dock until 9:00 p.m., at which time it will depart for Gijón, having arrived from Southampton.
In total, approximately 5,200 cruise passengers will be able to enjoy the tourist attractions offered by the region and the gastronomic and cultural experiences that can be enjoyed in the capital.
Díaz emphasized that the region has established itself as "an attractive destination" for shipping companies and passengers, "both for its tourist offerings and for the added value of docking right in the city center."
In this regard, Santander Cruise Deluxe – the brand created by the Government of Cantabria, the City Council of Santander and the Port itself for the organization of port calls and the promotion of this type of tourism – anticipates a historic season with 39 ships and nearly 60,000 tourists.
Record-breaking figures that practically double the activity recorded last season, when 21 cruise ships with nearly 30,000 passengers docked in the port of Santander. Numbers that, in Díaz's words, "are unprecedented" and confirm that cruise traffic "is experiencing one of its best moments in the autonomous community," thanks "to the promotional strategy developed over the last few years by Santander Cruise Deluxe."
The goal is for Santander to be "the leading port for premium cruises in northern Spain," while also "focusingon reducing seasonality and promoting balanced and sustainable tourism in the region," he stated.
International promotion
Santander maintains an active presence at the main trade fairs in the sector, such as Seatrade Miami, Seatrade Europe or International Cruise Summit, and is part of reference organizations such as CLIA and Cruise Europe, which allows it to maintain direct and continuous contact with the main shipping companies.
This work is complemented by actions aimed at strengthening the destination's positioning, such as organizing familiarization trips for cruise company managers - fam trips -, seeking new experiences for passengers, disseminating content in specialized media, creating specific promotional material for the luxury segment, and improving services through digitalization.
Next stops
Next Thursday, August 20, the port of Santander will host the visit of the Deutschland, from the Bernard Schulte Cruise Service shipping company; on Wednesday, August 26, the Ventura, from P&O, and on Sunday, August 30, the Star Legend, from WindStar, in what will be its first stop in the Cantabrian dock.
As for the month of September, eight calls are planned, among which the visit of the Silver Down, belonging to SilverSea, stands out, which will dock, also for the first time, in the port.
