In a decade the number of cruise passengers to pass through Spanish ports has almost doubled
New historic maximum: 3.6 million cruise passengers in the first six months of the year
- Mediterranean destinations are preferred by 64% of cruise passengers who visit Spain.
- Forecasts for the end of 2017 point to a new annual record of 8.8 million passengers.
- Economic outlooks and the variety of offers are reviving the Spanish market, which saw 500,000 Spaniards choose a cruise as a form of tourism in 2016.
22-08-2017(Ministry of Public Works).
Cruise passenger traffic through Spanish ports has once again set a new historic record in the first six months of the year. 3,621,857 cruise passengers passed through the collection of ports of general interest, with this number almost doubling in a decade from the 1.8 million passengers recorded in 2007.
The ports situated in the Mediterranean hold 63.7%, amounting to 2.3 million passengers, of the total number of cruise passengers to visit a Spanish port with Barcelona leading the way, having exceeded a million passengers for years and confirming its status as the main European destination and the fourth in the world as a base port, followed by the Balearic ports (which totalled 754,616 cruise passengers), Malaga (201,904) and Valencia (148,964). The average growth of Mediterranean ports was 6.43%, although some facilities such as Tarragona (+557.8%), Almeria (+119.9%) and Cartagena (+42.7%) experienced notable increases.
The Atlantic ports on the Peninsula and those in the Cantabrian continue to progress, although with smaller growth margins. In fact, the average growth was 4.7%, reaching 355,400 passengers, which represents 9.8% of the national total. Leading examples include the ports of the Bay of Cadiz (with 137,872 cruise passengers), A Coruña (with 74,762), Vigo (with 71,028) and Bilbao (with 37,729).
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Finally, the ports in the Canaries, which represent 26.5% of the national total with 960,848 passengers, experienced an average decrease of 8.85% due to the strong influence of their seasonal nature that sees the months with the greatest dip being concentrated in winter.
In spite of the aforementioned data, the Port Authorities' forecasts for the close of 2017 point to a new historic record with 8.8 million passengers, and a long-term projection for 2020 of more than 9.5 million cruise passengers.
- SPAIN ESTABLISHES ITS POSITION AMONG EUROPE'S ELITE
According to the latest data offered by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA Europe), Spain continues to be the second European country receiving the most passengers, with only Italy ahead of it. Specifically, 5.93 million cruise passengers made stops at Spanish ports. Spain also ranks as the second port of embarkation with 1.28 million passengers. Furthermore, the Spanish cruise market has been regaining followers and, after a few years of falling numbers, since 2014 the rate of growth (4%) has seen the number of Spaniards choosing a cruise as a form of tourism change from 454,000 to 486,000 in 2016. This number positions Spain as the fifth European country in terms of cruise passenger nationality, far behind Germany and the United Kingdom/Ireland who lead the ranking with 2 million and 1.88 million people respectively, but closer to nearby countries, such as Italy (751,000) y France (574,000).
With over €1.3 billion in the form of direct economic contribution, Spain maintains its position as the fourth European market in terms of benefitting from the cruise sector. Furthermore, the cruise industry generated a total of 28,600 jobs in Spain.
In relation to national ports, the Port of Barcelona, still ranks as the first in Europe and fourth in the world, with 2.68 million passengers in 2016, followed by the Balearic ports, which take third place in Europe with over 1.9 million passengers. The Port of Las Palmas enjoys seventh position in Europe with 1.1 million passengers and the Port of S.C. Tenerife is tenth with more than 884,000 passengers.
- "BLUE CARPET" UNVEILED IN HAMBURG
Around 30 companies, including Port Authorities and service and product providers, will unite at the "Ports of Spain" stand at the Seatrade Europe Hamburg Fair that will take place from 6 to 8 September in Hamburg (Germany). The Spanish presence at the most important European cruise fair will involve an exhibition space 105 m2 in size.
With a strong image and messages, and under the motto "Blue Carpet: Step into Spain through world class ports", the Puertos del Estado stand includes the Port Authorities of A Coruña, Alicante, Avilés, Bay of Cádiz, Balearic Islands, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cartagena, Castellón, Ceuta, Ferrol, Gijón, Huelva, Malaga, Motril, Pasaia, Santander, Seville, Tarragona, Valencia, Vigo and Vilagarcía de Arousa, in addition to Las Palmas and S.C. Tenerife in a specific space called "Cruises Atlantic Islands".
Furthermore, renowned companies will be participating, including Bergé, which managed the allocation of more than 700 cruises with over 1 million passengers; Pérez y Cía, a consignee company with extensive experience and an established presence in the maritime-port sector; and the Spanish Tourism Office in Berlín.
Suppliers such as Cavas Llopart, Enate, Caprichodiario, Mar7, San Miguel, and Solán de Cabras will also be present and aiming to support Spanish options in food products in the German market as well as introduce themselves as suppliers in the select cruise sector.
