In 2023, the Porto Cruise Terminal (Port of Leixões) welcomed 116 cruise calls, 14 by ships new to the port, which brought 148.889 passengers to Porto & North of Portugal Region making it the destination’s busiest year. The port also hosted 4 turnaround calls.
These numbers represent a 37% growth in the number of passengers over the previous year and 27% more compared to 2018, which had been the best year ever until now.
The majority of passengers visiting Porto Cruise Terminal and the region in 2023 were from the UK (44,1%), USA (23.2%), Germany (17.9%), Canada (5%) and Australia (1.6%).
The size of ships visiting the port is also increasing. GT numbers reached 6.9 million, 12% more over the previous year. The average ship length was 224 mtr compared to 219 recorded last year.
Cruise activity on the Atlantic Coast continues to be marked by some seasonality and like previous years, the strongest months for activity at the port were May (27,373 passengers), September (24,932 passengers) and October (29,219 passengers). October was once again the best month of the year and, in this case, the best month ever as far as passengers are concerned.
In this way, 2023 was the best ever for cruise activity at Porto Cruise Terminal and we are very proud to continue to be an increasingly preferred choice for cruise companies and cruisers from all over the world by growing in a sustained manner with great impact on tourism in the Porto & North Region of Portugal.
