The Spanish province of Andalucía and its port authorities of Almería, Huelva, Motril, Cádiz, Málaga, Algeciras and Seville have jointly published an action plan, namely Plan de Acción 2015-2016, putting into motion measures aiming at attracting cruise ships and cruise tourists to the region, highlighting the “magnificent infrastructures” of its ports and tourism network. Alan Lam reports.
In 2013, the province as a whole received over 825,000 cruise passengers on 677 calls. About 87.0% of these tourists originated from outside of Spain, with 40.8% from the UK, 14.0% from Germany, and 10.0% from France.
Andalucía welcomes about 11.0% of total cruise tourists to Spain. The province’s Council for Tourism and Commerce estimates that this percentage can be increased to 15.0%.
Presenting the Plan, the Council stressed the importance of cooperation with airports anddestinations, creating synergies with local businesses and attractions.
Emphasizing the uniqueness of the region, the Plan also aims to make visitors wanting to return.
The strategy of the Plan includes the creation of a complete cruise package for the region and establishing a collective regional cruise trademark, namely “Andalucía Turismo de Cruceros”.
With a budget of €800,000, of which the Council of Tourism and Commerce contributes €500,000, the Plan also proposes to create a special commission for cruise tourism.
The targeted source markets, as listed by the Plan, include the UK, Germany, France and Spain; outside of Europe a special emphasis is placed on Brazil, China, USA and Russia.
