Spain hits a new milestone in 2024 with over twelve million cruise passengers, marking an impressive increase of over six percent compared to the previous year.

Spanish ports set a new record in 2024, welcoming more than 12.8 million cruise passengers—an increase of 6.7% compared to 2023. The number of cruise ships arriving at these ports also grew, reaching 4,700, which is 200 more than the previous year.

The previous high was recorded in 2023, when over 12 million cruise passengers and 4,500 ships visited Spanish ports, surpassing pre-pandemic figures from 2019.

Total passenger traffic in Spain, including both regular ferry services and cruises, amounted to 40.8 million travelers in 2024. Of this total, 28 million passengers used regular ferry routes, while 12.8 million were cruise passengers. The overall figure reflects a 4% rise compared to 2023.

December saw significant growth, with total passenger numbers exceeding 2.7 million—up by 9.4%. Among them, 1.8 million traveled on regular ferry lines, marking a 3.4% increase, while cruise passengers totaled 914,468, representing a sharp rise of 23.6%. Additionally, 371 cruise ships arrived in December, 76 more than in the same month in 2023.

Barcelona remained the busiest cruise port in Spain, recording 3.6 million cruise passengers in 2024, a 2.4% increase from the previous year. The Balearic Islands followed with 2.5 million passengers, though this was a slight decline of 0.8%. Las Palmas saw a significant surge of 23.7%, reaching 1.8 million passengers, while Santa Cruz de Tenerife experienced a 19% rise, reaching 1.3 million.

In terms of cruise ship traffic, Barcelona also led with 791 ships, though this represented a slight decrease of 1.6% from the previous year. The Balearic Islands followed with 774 ships, showing a 2.1% increase. Las Palmas recorded 735 ships, up by 15%, and Santa Cruz de Tenerife saw 590 ships, an increase of 10.3%.

The post Spain Sets New Record For Cruise Passengers With Twelve Million Eight Hundred Thousand, A Six Percent Growth In 2024, With Barcelona As The Key Hub appeared first on Travel And Tour World.