Alan Lam reports
Amidst the recent cruise boom, the Balearic Islands Port Authority (Autoridad Portuaria de Baleares or APB) is expecting a best-ever year for 2015. Cruise Business Review investigates the secrets of its success.
With a view of maintaining the position of being a preferred homeport for major cruise lines, the port authority, aiming at improving cruise provisions and maintaining the industry’s confidence in its services, has firm forward cruise specific investment plans. For 2015, it is investing no less than €28 million on upgrades and infrastructure development in Palma de Mallorca.
After opening a new pier, the port can now simultaneously host up to eight cruise vessels, six of which can be of 300 metres long. This year, Palma expects to receive 550 calls and welcome over 1.7 million passengers - a new record.
Its success owes much to the implementation of “working together” approach the industry has been calling for in recent years. The city, the port, and all other stakeholders have worked together to reinvent Palma as a dynamic, happy, cosmopolitan and year round destination for cruise tourism. It has been nominated by The Times as the “Best City in the World to Live”.
Palma’s success can also be attributed to its excellent air connections, good hotels, and the proximity to major European source markets. Throughout the year, the island hosts various events that draw visitors from far and wide, such as Art Brunch, Palma Photo, the well-known Nit de l’Art, numerous sporting gatherings, and musical festivals, not to mention its genteel atmosphere that has been a favourite destination for many for decades.
Besides Palma, Alcúdia offers an exclusive alternative for cruise ships and tourists for exploring Mallorca. The port boasts a proximity to one of the most spectacular beaches in the Mediterranean, with vineyards, golf courses, an old Roman city, and gastronomy to match.
With 120 calls and over 200,000 passengers a year, Ibiza – where hedonism is not an option but an obligation - is the second most popular cruise port of the Balearic Islands, It has lengthened its pier south of Botafoc to accommodate two vessels of 328 and 375 metres, respectively.
There is also the port of Mahon on the island of Menorca. Named as one of the “Things To Do Before You Die”, the island promote itself as the destination of “rediscovery”. APB is investing €2.7 million this year upgrading the passenger pier to accommodate larger ships and bigger volumes.
Besides its natural appeals, a Cruise Business Review study concludes that the success of Balearic Islands in attracting cruise traffics owns much to the port authority’s willingness to take on board the recommendations by the wider industry. For years, cruise lines have been calling for ports and destinations to promote their uniqueness, to work together with other interested parties and to prepare for year round cruising. The Balearic Islands Port Authority has implemented all of these.