Last year, the Port of Palma handled 1.3 million cruise passengers, 26.5 percent more than in 2012 and further growth is forecast this year.
Palma.—The Association of International Cruise Lines (CLIA)is currently holding its annual convention in Madrid and yesterday it was confirmed that last year, Palma was the fifth busiest cruise port in Europe and that the Spanish cruise industry as a whole is braced for further sustained growth over the course of this year.
The main driving force behind the country’s cruise boom is the foreign market.
Last year, the domestic market let the market down.
In 2013, just 475,000 Spaniards went on a cruise, 17 percent fewer than in 2012 when 576,000 Spaniards went cruising.
However, the overseas market is continuing to grow and evidence of that is that Spanish ports this year are home to some of the largest cruise ships currently afloat.