The Port of Palma set to register its best ever winter cruise season.
Palma de Mallorca
18/12/2013
This winter, the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands (APB) is set to register its best ever low season in cruise traffic, with an 80% increase in calls from November 2013 to March 2014. This constitutes an excellent measure to counteract the seasonal nature of tourism.
A total of 61 cruise calls are scheduled during the low season, i.e. 15th November 2013 to 15th March 2014, compared to the 34 calls registered during the previous year.
The most significant increase has come in the number of home port calls, due in part to the fact that the ships AIDAmar and AIDAsol have chosen the Port of Palma to start and end their cruises, and to the constant efforts of the APB to promote the Balearic Islands as an attractive destination on the international tourism market.
A monthly analysis of cruise activity at the Port of Palma reveals that February, which has traditionally been very quiet, is now on a par with the other winter months. The month of December is set to register 14 calls compared to 8 in 2012. Fifteen calls are scheduled for January 2014 compared to 7 in 2013. Calls in February are set to rise from 4 in 2013 to 13 in 2014, whilst figures for the last two weeks of November and the first week of March remain stable.
Back to a million
In addition, the Port of Palma has returned to the million mark in a single season with figures hitting 1.2 million cruise passengers during the current year, i.e. a 25% increase over 2012. As a whole, the five public interest ports managed by the APB have recorded a total of 1.5 million passengers, an increase of 15% for the year. The number of calls has risen to 703, a 11% rise over 2012. A moderate increase in the number of calls and passengers is also expected for 2014.
