Spanish cruise ports aim to hit 9.5 million passenger mark by 2020

Spain’s cruise ports welcomed a record 8.7 million passengers in 2016, a 0.6% rise from 2015.

Ports in the Mediterranean hosted 68% of these passengers – around 5.8 million. Barcelona welcomed 2.68 million, the Balearic Islands handled 1.95 million, Malaga reported 444,000 visitors and Valencia hosted 403,000. Other Mediterranean destinations also experienced high growth, such as Cartagena and Almeria, which hosted 24.5% and 65.8% more cruise guests respectively.

Two Cantabrian ports also achieved notable growth in 2016. Gijon doubled its total number of cruise passengers to 32,700, and Bilbao handled 22.7% more cruise traffic.

Meanwhile, the Canary Island ports handled 22.9% of Spain’s total cruise traffic – almost two million people. The Atlantic ports welcomed 8.3% of Spain’s cruise traffic (723,256 passengers).

According to port authority forecasts, Spain’s cruise traffic will grow by 1.5-3% in the next couple of years and passenger numbers could exceed 9.5 million by 2020.