Recent reports have shown that it has not been plain sailing all year for the Balearic cruise industry with traffic having dropped off during the peak of the summer season.
Palma.—As of the end of July, the number of cruise passengers coming to Palma this year was only 0.8 percent up on last year while the number of cruise ships docking in Palma was down by 1.16 percent - a set of figures which have confused the local cruise sector because a record year was being forecast back in January.
However, there may be a late surge in the market.
This week, for example, a total of 17 cruise ships will be docking in Palma, the largest being the Norwegian Epic on Saturday with 4,100 passengers on board while 3,700 cruise passengers will dock in port this morning on board the Costa Favolosa.
Bright future
And, the future for the industry as a whole continues to looks bright.
Demand for cruising has grown by 77 percent in the last decade, new research has revealed, and the market is expected to continue growing with more of the super cruise liners being ordered.
The data released by the Cruise Lines International Association shows the number of passengers has grown globally from 12 million to 21.3 million.