Spain regains momentum in Cruise Tourism

• New historical record: 2,384 cruise ships in the first seven months of 2022.
• The Mediterranean attracts two out of every three cruisers visiting Spain.
• The cruise industry generates around 50,000 jobs and invoices €6 billion annually in Spain.

September 12, 2022 (Public Body Puertos del Estado). With 3,487,507 cruise passengers between January and July 2022, Spain confirms its commitment to cruise tourism. With clear differences between the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and the Cantabrian Sea, all general interest Puertos del Estado have experienced significant increases compared to 2021, resulting in an average growth rate of 781.8%.

This high growth is justified by the gradual disappearance of restrictions on passenger traffic during the pandemic and the progressive recovery of destinations. However, cruise companies themselves have chosen to be cautious, opting not to reach their maximum passenger capacity. Despite 2,384 cruise ships arriving at Spanish ports in the first seven months of 2022, compared to 2,231 in 2019, reaching a new historical record, the number of cruisers is still 38.5% lower than that last year, which set a historical record.

By geographical areas, the Mediterranean, with more than 2.3 million passengers, has attracted 2/3 of cruisers passing through Spanish ports. The port of Barcelona is the undisputed leader with over 1 million cruisers in the first seven months of the year, followed by the ports of the Balearic Islands with 758,735 passengers, Valencia with 249,377, and Malaga with 131,071 cruisers.

In the Atlantic Ocean, the Canary Islands stand out with 755,176 cruisers, of which 442,255 corresponded to ports dependent on the Port Authority of Las Palmas (on the islands of Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote) and 312,921 to ports dependent on the Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (on the islands of Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma, and El Hierro).

The peninsular Atlantic, including the Galician Port Authorities of A Coruña, Ferrol, Marín, and Ría de Pontevedra, Vigo, and Vilagarcía, and the Andalusian Port Authorities of Bahía de Algeciras, Bahía de Cádiz, and Huelva, has attracted 344,315 cruisers in the first seven months of 2022. The ports of the Bay of Cadiz with 165,683 passengers, A Coruña with 91,932, and Vigo with 71,052 stand out.

Finally, the Cantabrian Sea, including the Asturian ports of Avilés and Gijón, the Cantabrian port of Santander, and the Basque ports of Bilbao and Pasaia, received 70,506 cruisers, with Bilbao, with 54,413, being the most prominent port in this area.

Puertos del Estado at the Seatrade Cruise Med Fair in Malaga

Malaga will host the main cruise event held in Europe, Seatrade Cruise Med, on September 14 and 15, at the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Malaga. The main cruise companies in the world, operators, and ports will meet during these two days, deploying a range of presentations and lectures focused on the challenges facing the cruise industry.

Puertos del Estado, the commercial brand that brings together most Spanish ports, will have a 230 m2 stand where the ports of A Coruña, Alicante, Avilés, Balearic Islands, Bilbao, Cartagena, Castellón, Ceuta, Ferrol, Gijón, Melilla, Santander, Tarragona, Valencia, Vigo, Vilagarcía de Arousa, and the Andalusian ports integrated into Suncruise (Almería, Bay of Algeciras, Bay of Cadiz, Huelva, Malaga, Motril, and Seville) will attend professionals and visitors at the fair.

CLIA Predicts Full Recovery of the Sector

Cruise companies plan to deploy capacity in Spain throughout 2022 that could reach levels almost similar to those before the pandemic, according to data from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).

Globally, nearly 100% of the ships in the CLIA fleet were already in service since last August, with 2022 being a "vital year for the recovery of the pre-pandemic passenger volume (over 29 million) in 2023."

As for Spain's data before the pandemic, in 2019, more than 550,000 Spaniards chose a cruise as a vacation option, making Spain the fourth largest cruise market in Europe.

The cruise industry in Spain generated over 50,000 jobs that year, and its turnover amounted to nearly €6 billion, according to CLIA estimates.

The association notes that, for every 24 cruise passengers, the equivalent of a full-time job is created, and on average, each passenger spends €660 on the destinations they visit during a seven-day cruise.