At a seminar on Monday about transport and insularity, the contentious issue of apparent "saturation" by cruise ships and their passengers was raised. José Llorca, the president of the State Ports, said that cruise ship tourism is an essential element for islands and their economic and tourist development. It is not an issue, in his opinion, that should be subject to "demagoguery". "I believe that Palma's cruise tourism should continue to grow unimpeded."
Talking at the Chamber of Commerce, Llorca argued that cruise tourism does not cause saturation so long as various administrations coordinate the flow of ships in an orderly fashion. If this is done, then there is no impact on quality.
He warned against a policy of non-promotion of cruise tourism. This could lead to economic problems and to job losses. "The shipping business has enormous capacity for generating economic activity. This is why were are not in favour of tax measures which reduce the competitiveness of islands."