Work is being carried out at the port.

Work is being carried out at the port. | Josep Bagur Gomila

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterMahon10/06/2020 08:14
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The Balearic Ports Authority is still scheduling 35 cruise ship stopovers in Mahon for the remainder of the year, but there will not be 35. Some will be cancelled shortly and it will be almost impossible for cruise tourists to arrive in Mahon before August. Rosa Cardona, head of the main shipping company in Mahon, believes that September is a more likely forecast. But even this is "very optimistic".

However, if this were to be the case, then 25 of the scheduled stopovers would be saved. Eleven of these would be in September, but they are still far from certain. "The season is practically lost," says Cardona. Several factors influence the reactivation of cruise tourism, such as the opening of international maritime traffic, conditions imposed on cruise ships in terms of security protocols, and the decisions made by each of the countries on a ship's itinerary.

One of the leading cruise lines that uses Mahon, Costa Cruises, is currently targeting 1 August as the date for a resumption of operations. But because of the various factors, this doesn't necessarily mean that Mahon will be included in itineraries. As it is, July and August are comparatively light months for cruise tourism in Mahon. September and October are busier months.