By
Rebecca Gibson |
MedCruise’s 73 member ports welcomed a total of 27.4 million cruise passengers in 2015, according to a new report.
Presented at Seatrade Cruise Global 2016, the 2016 MedCruise Statistics Report showed that the number of people passing through the ports rose 6.2% from 2014 and increased significantly from the 8.6 million passengers who visited the ports in 2001.
Collectively, MedCruise members handled 13,194 ships calls, 4.4% less than the 13,813 in 2014. However, many of the ships were bigger than in the past, meaning that 2015 was the first year that the average number of passengers per call was higher than 2,000. In 2001, the average reached around 848 passenger visits per cruise call.
“The MedCruise report outlines another successful year for cruise ports in the Med and its adjoining seas, based on the annual cruise traffic data of 73 MedCruise port members that represent 80% of the total cruise passenger movements in the region,” said Kristijan Pavic, MedCruise president. “The test for all is to allow for cruising in the Med and its adjoining seas to sustain as the most exciting way of vacations, while creating the background for socially responsible future growth.”