13/12/2013 00:00
TW
0

Minorca.—The port of Mahon will end this year with the worst cruise ship business figures for the last 15 years although next year looks as though trade will pick up a bit, the Balearic Ports Authority said yesterday. “Next year”, said the port's managers, the Cardona agency, “89 cruise ships have registered a stop-off in Mahon but it doesn't cross the 100 mark which has been the normal for the industry over the last few years, and it is far removed from the historic record of 146 ships which docked in the port a decade ago.” “There hasn't been such a bad year for cruising tourism in Minorca since 1966,” said Rosa Maria Cardona, when just 70 ships came to the island during the year.

Acknowledging that 2011 had been a poor year and that there was only going to be a marginal increase in trade for 2012, Cardona was much more optimistic about 2013. “Already there have been requests from cruise line companies for stop-offs in Mahón and there seems to be heightened interest from our regular customers,” she said.

On Ibiza, meanwhile, in contrast to the loss of cruise ship business on Minorca, the industry continues to grow. Next year, 168 liners will be stopping off in Ibiza, 22 percent more than the total for the island this year. “This will be almost double the amount which will be docking in Mahón,” confirmed Cardona. Palma will have 12 percent less trade next year, she said.