The region of Catalonia known as the Costa Daurada and its capital Tarragona located about 100 km south of Barcelona will undoubtedly prove to be one of the cruise destinations to watch closely in coming years.
Over 2000 years ago the area had already been discovered by the emperors of the Roman Empire as a holiday destination for its warm climate its rich cuisine and its natural beauty. This area with its rich past and current day splendour will be a rising star in the international cruise market in 2014 and has now launched its own brand.
Tarragona Cruise Port is the result of a new business strategy which aims to make the Port of Tarragona a real alternative for the millions of passengers who cruise the Mediterranean every year visiting well-known predictable and often saturated tourist destinations.
Surprising and new this is how Tarragona Cruise Port will be presented to the international market. It is a destination which combines all of the virtues of the Mediterranean lifestyle (fantastic wineries and rich cuisine sunshine and spotless golden beaches tradition culture historic monuments modernist architecture leisure and relaxation nature sports and all manner of outdoor activities) and is home to a modern welcoming enterprising active and cosmopolitan populace who offer tourists unique and unforgettable experiences.
In Tarragona modernity and tradition coexist in perfect harmony offering visitors virtually unlimited and personalised possibilities. Tarragona’s excellently preserved archaeological treasures from the times of ancient Roman Tarraco – declared UNESCO World Heritage – and the possibility of visiting perfectly preserved medieval monasteries which are still active today illustrates perfectly to the world how ancient and avant-garde can live side by side. The area is home to 7 world class golf courses open all year and in 2013 hosted the premier international event for the sport (the IGTM). Tarragona also boasts one of Europe’s leading theme parks PortAventura. And of course don’t forget the fantastic cuisine; the area is home to the highest concentration of wine and cava production in Catalonia.
The Costa Daurada has managed to create a tourism model which is both distinguished and family-oriented a model founded on the excellent quality of its coast its rich and varied cuisine and its mild climate (with temperatures sometimes reaching 20 degrees Celsius in winter). In addition to being one of the top tourist destinations for Spanish tourists the area has also been a leading destination for thousands of French British and Central European families for decades. Over the last five years the attractions of Tarragona and the Costa Daurada have also been discovered by the Russian market; in 2013 the area was the leading foreign tourist destination. Today more than 5 million tourists from Spain and Europe visit the Costa Daurada every year which is on par with the tourist markets of entire countries like Cuba the Dominican Republic or New Zealand.
Its maturity as a premier tourist destination and the possibility of opening the area to the world are the foremost arguments for the definitive entry of Tarragona and the Costa Daurada in the competitive world of cruising. Tarragona Cruise Port marks the launch of a project which will be showcased in the upcoming Seatrade Cruise Shipping international trade fair in Miami where the new brand will be presented with the support of the most important tourist and government stakeholders of the Tarragona area.
