A record number of cruise ships visited the Porto Cruise Terminal in 2022 as the industry recovered rapidly in the wake of Covid-19. The two cruise terminals welcomed 112 cruise ship calls (11 more than in the last full pre-pandemic seasons in 2018 and 2019), which brought 108.626 passengers to Porto and the North of Portugal Region.
Despite having had more cruise calls, the Porto Cruise Terminal did not set a new record in the number of cruise passengers, primarily due to health protocols on board. In the first months of 2022, cruise ships sailed with a significantly lower occupancy than the norm. Nevertheless, the number of passengers was 22.5% higher compared to 2019 and only surpassed by the numbers of 2018 (-7%), which was so far the best year ever.
Total GT numbers recorded in 2022 exceeds 6 million, 56% higher than in 2019 and 33% more compared to 2018, numbers never reached before as the port is welcoming more and more larger cruise ships.
Of the 112 cruise ships that visited Porto Cruise Terminal throughout last year, 22 were new to the port including the debut of Disney Cruise Line operations. In addition, there were 6 turnaround operations.
Porto Cruise Terminal is on track to break these records again in 2023 as currently, about 140 cruise ship calls are announced to visit the port next year, which will bring to Porto and North of Portugal nearly 180.000 passengers.
