The Committee on Tourism, Trade, Employment, Culture and Sport has approved an initiative to call for the agreement to limit the arrival of cruise ships in Palma to be renewed.
The proposal calls on the Balearic Government to reach an agreement with the cruise lines and shipping agents, as well as with the Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB) and Palma City Council to renew the agreement on limiting arrival of cruise ships in the port of Palma.
In May 2022, the government reached an agreement with the shipping companies to regulate the arrival of cruise ships in Palma.
Under that agreement, ship arrivals were staggered with a maximum of three per day, of which only one of them could have a capacity of more than 5,000 passengers.
Earlier this year in Madrid a group of politicians expressed their interest in the possibility of promoting a stricter regulatory framework regarding the activity of cruise ships in terms of taxation, the environment or the use of less polluting fuels in view of the increase in the number of cruise ships arriving in the Balearics, for example, over the past few years, despite alleged restrictions.
But, and putting it quite bluntly, the government said in reply it could not approve limitations on access of cruise ships to Spanish ports because it does not have the necessary legal support.
The government added that a prior agreement is required with the main cruise companies, providers of the service, represented in the Cruise Lines International Association and it is a matter “that affects the coastal cities concerned and the corresponding autonomous government, as well as the competences in matters of tourism”.