On Thursday, the Balearic tourism minister Iago Negueruela, the director-general for tourism, Isabel Vidal, and Spain's secretary-of-state for tourism, Rosana Morillo, travelled from Berlin to Paris for the European Summit being held by the CLIA Cruise Lines International Association. Their purpose was to confirm the 2023 and 2024 cruise ship schedules for Palma.
Negueruela explained that 2023 had been previously agreed and that there would be no more than three ships on any given day. As for 2024, there were four days when more than three ships were being scheduled. Amendments have now been made and these will be formalised over the coming weeks.
The minister said that thanks to the agreement "the foundations of an even more responsible tourism model have been laid and one that continues to generate wealth, addressing the specific needs of Palma".
The summit is focusing on the challenges facing the cruise industry and the need for decarbonisation, a reduction of the environmental footprint and greater sustainability.
* Agreement on limiting cruise ships to three days was reached at a meeting in Palma in May last year. It runs until 2026; schedules for 2025 and 2026 have yet to be drawn up.