Plenty of hot air is wafting around about regulating the cruise industry but little action appears to be being taken.
Last year, the Balearics was Spain’s leading cruise destination and the Puerto Palma, the second busiest to Barcelona.
What is more, while the Balearic government carries on signing up to zero emission and carbon footprint reduction programmes, the number of cruise passengers visiting the Balearics last year was ten percent up on the previous year while handling the most number of cruise ships, 818 in total. To me that does not equate to regulating and reducing cruise traffic.
Ironically, in the past few months of last year, Barcelona, with the support of the all powerful state port authority, began experimenting with an idea to divert cruise ships to other ports in order to reduce the pressure on the capital and pollution.
So, if Barcelona can do it why can’t the Balearics? In Palma we are continually being told that the biggest hurdle in tackling the cruise ship issue is getting round the state port authority. Well, it appears that the body in Madrid is open to ideas and aware of the negative impact “over cruising” can have.
Considering Barcelona is much larger than Palma, Madrid would surely be sympathetic to the concerns of the authorities in Palma where the anti-cruise movement is growing. It appears that the Balearic government is not arguing hard enough.