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The Balearic cruise market suffered a slight dip last year, with ten percent less cruise ships and 14 percent less passengers, but cruise passengers to the Balearics, 51.76 percent of which are British, spend six times more a day than a “conventional” tourist according to a recent survey. The survey of 756 cruise passengers, carried out on behalf of the Balearic Port Authority, reveals that cruise passengers to the Balearics spend an average of 21'508 pesetas per day, which makes the Balearic cruise market worth some 13'400 million pesetas a year to the local economy. The survey also set out to gauge the level of passenger satisfaction with Balearics ports and how passengers rate local ports in comparison to the rest of the Mediterranean. The conclusion was very favourable with the majority of passengers rating Balearics ports as the best in the Western Med. The biggest cruise spenders are in Majorca, spending a daily average of 26'952 pesetas. In Minorca the figure dropped to 10'140 pesetas and in Ibiza to 9'733 pesetas per day. But the President of the Balearic Port Authority, Francesc Triay, said the main reason for the large difference is that passengers spend more time in Majorca where a much wider selection of excursions are available. But apart from trips ashore, passengers to Majorca spend their money on perfume, cosmetics and jewellery. The highest rated port is Mahon in Minorca which received 8.8 points out of ten. Palma received eight and Ibiza 7.8. An average cruise passenger in the Balearics is aged between 41 and 65, 72 percent are couples, 26.6 percent are retired and 23.3 percent are business people and of the global market, 51.7 per cent are British.