- Cruise activity had an estimated economic impact of 5.1 million euros in the region, an increase of 2% on the previous year
- The Port of Palamós closes with 51,500 passengers and 50 calls, and the port of Roses with 1,500 passengers and 8 calls
- The visit by the Seabourn Sojourn ends the 2024 season
The ports of Palamós and Roses have closed the 2024 cruise season on the Costa Brava with 58 calls (a 9% increase over last year) and 53,000 passengers (1% more). These results highlight the model of sustainable and sustained growth of cruise activity in the two ports that are run by the Generalitat de Catalunya. Cruise ship activity had an estimated economic impact of 5.1 million euros in the region. According to a study by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), it is estimated that each passenger spends an average of 90 euros when they disembark at a port of call and visit the destination. An additional €6 was added to cover the cost of port services.
The season was marked by the diversification of the cruise companies – thirteen in Palamós and six in Roses. For its part, Palamós received four maiden calls from the cruise ships Viking Saturn, Spirit of Discovery, Silver Ray and Viking Sea. Roses also received two maiden stopovers, from the Seabourn Ovation and the Ilma. Moreover, the largest number of calls to Palamós and Roses was in April and October, thereby contributing to the de-seasonalisation of tourism in the low season. There was also a balance in the origin of the cruise ships, with 50% coming from the North American market and the other 50% from Europe.
The visit by the Seabourn Sojourn cruise ship, with 460 passengers, closes the season
The Port of Palamós has closed the 2024 cruise season on the Costa Brava with the arrival of the Seabourn Sojourn, which carried 460 passengers, the vast majority of them Americans. The ship arrived from the port of Barcelona at 8:00 a.m. and set sail for the French port of Toulon at 6:00 p.m. The tourists on this cruise visited the town and various points of the destination such as a Baix Empordà winery, where they tasted DO Empordà wines and oils; Begur; the archaeological site at Empúries; and the Gala-Dalí Castle in Púbol.
The Director General of Ports of the Generalitat, Esther Roca, participated in the closing ceremony of the cruise season at the Port of Palamós, accompanied by the Mayor of Palamós, Lluís Puig, the President of the Chamber of Commerce of Palamós, Pol Fages, and the Councilor for Tourism, Antoni Bachiller.
Balance of the Port of Palamós
The Port of Palamós closed the season with 50 calls, an increase of 2% over the previous season, and 51,500 passengers, the same as last season. As a result, the Port remains the leader in this activity among the ports of the Costa Brava, and the third in the whole of Catalonia.
The season lasted eight months, from 1 April to 24 November. The 13 cruise companies that have visited the waters of the Baix Emporda were: Azamara, CroisiEurope, Marella Cruises, Mystic Cruises, Noble Caledonia, Oceania Cruises, Saga, Sea Cloud Cruises, Seabourn, SeaDream Yacht Cruises, Silversea Cruises, Viking Cruises and Windstar Cruises.
As for the nationalities of the cruise tourists, the largest group was the British with 77%; North Americans were at a distant second with 14%, followed by the Irish with 4%; . There were also German, Canadian and Australian tourists (1% each). The rest of the nationalities combined reached 2%.
76% of passengers who visited Palamós stayed in the municipality and 24% made excursions around the territory, using buses, taxis and bicycles. The 10 most requested excursions were, in order: Pals, Tossa de Mar and Lloret de Mar, Girona, Barcelona, Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Platja d’Aro, Figueres (Dalí Museum), Celler al Baix Empordà, the Empúries archaeological site, Begur and Púbol.
Balance of the port of Roses
The Port of Roses closed the season with a total of 8 calls, twice as many as last year, and 1,500 passengers, quintupling the 2023 figure. In all, it was a very good season compared to the previous one.
A total of six cruise lines visited the port of Roses: Sea Cloud Cruises, CroisiEurope, Mystic Cruises, Seabourn, SeaDream Yacht Cruises and The Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection. One of the highlights was the return of the Seabourn cruise line to the waters of the Alt Empordà.
In the port of Roses, the largest group of cruise tourists by nationality was North American (62%), followed by the French with 11% and the British with 6%. Canadians and Australians reached 5% each, while Belgians accounted for 2% and the Swiss 1%. All the other nationalities combined accounted for 8% of the total.
64% of the passengers who visited Roses stayed in the municipality and 36% made excursions around the territory, using buses, taxis and bicycles. The 10 most requested excursions were: Figueres (Dalí Museum), Cadaqués, Girona, Peralada, Alt Empordà wineries, Sant Pere de Rodes, the Empúries archaeological site, Portlligat, Vilajuïga and Empuriabrava.
