The port of Barcelona has today, at Seatrade Cruise Global 2018 in Florida, presented its plan to achieve its sustainability, environment and cruise innovation targets, signalling strategic factors for its development. They also highlighted the "good rate new infrastructure is being developed at" for the cruise sector and the loyalty the main operators from around the world show to Barcelona. They also announce that 2017's record results which accompany the port's sustained growth will lead them, in 2018, to receive 800 stopovers, 22 more than in 2017.
The port's delegation, headed by head of cruises, Mar Pérez; subdirector general of Strategy and Business, Santiago Garcia-Milà and the director of Institutional Relationships and Communication, Núria Burguera, highlighted, in a statement, that the cruise industry's bet on Barcelona is made clear by the investments being made in new facilities and the volume of stopovers which a total of 35 companies will make during 2018.
Cruises all year round
The port's representatives have presented their report on fiscal year 2017 which, with 2.71 million cruise passengers (+1.1%) and 778 stopovers, was its best of all time. They highlight the 13% growth during autumn and winter months (Jan, Feb, Mar, Nov and Dec), an increase which has been more than repeated in the first two months of 2018, fruit of the port's strategy to attract cruises beyond summer. The volume of cruise passengers in January and February grew 51%.
As for 2018, the port expects to receive a total of 800 stopovers. With respect to last year, a slight increase in passenger numbers is expected, to be determined by uptake for each cruise
Moving cruises
The Catalan delegation also emphasised the importance of the agreement reached between Barcelona's city council and the port with regards to changes to the cruise infrastructure. The agreement, which deepens the "Barcelona model" of collaboration between the administration, private sector, local agents and the airport, sets out the progressive stopping of cruise activity at the North and South terminals, the closest to the city, bringing all cruise operations together at Adosado pier. This pier, which currently has 5 terminals (including Terminal E), could be expanded up to 7.
Terminal E, which, at 12,000 m2, is one of the largest cruise terminals in Europe, will be inaugurated this spring by the largest cruise group in the world, Carnival Corporation. With a 30 million euro investment (£26.8 million, $37.2 million), the facility has been designed to meet high standards of efficiency and sustainability and to welcome the largest cruise ships. For its part, the port of Barcelona is urbanising the new terminal's surrounding, 45,000m2 with an investment of 2.9 million euros (£2.6 million, $3.6 million).