Palma.The number of passengers coming to the Baelaric Islands on cruise liners sunk by more than 75 percent in the first quarter of this year in comparison with the same period in 2011, the National Ports Authority said yesterday.
The Authority claimed that barely 15'000 people cruised into the Islands between January and March (inclusive) this year whereas 65'000 had come in the first three months of 2011. The number of ships coming to Balearic Ports during this period was apparently 57.7 percent lower than in the first quarter of 2011.
A different picture
But at a national level, it was a very different picture according to the National Ports Authority because 8 percent more cruise liner passengers (a total of 1.1 million) came to Spain (excluding the Canary Islands) between January and the end of March. In March 437'307 cruising passengers came to mainland Spain and the Balearics whereas in the same month of 2011, there were 434'735 (0.6% less). Also at a national level, the Authority reported that 13 percent more cruise liners had moored in Spain's tourist ports ... 548 ships compared to 485 in the same period in 2011. In March alone there were 242 cruise liners stopping off. Spectacularly, between January and March, the ports of Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands hosted more than 670'000 cruise passengers between them, a rise of more than 20% in comparison with the same time last year. Meanwhile, Barcelona which has always been a favourite port of call in the Mediterranean reported that 17.65 percent less cruise liner passengers had visited the port during the first three months of this year. The Ports Authority said the number of boats had dropped by 30 percent over the same period.
In stark contrast, the port of Valencia said that the number of passengers it registered during the first quarter this year (24'000) was 198 percent higher than during the first three months of 2011. The figure was particularly significant because in fact not as many ships had docked in Valencia in the first quarter as had done in the same period last year.
In Palma, the City Council has taken important steps in encouraging local businesses to cater for cruise ship visitors, even on public holidays.
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