The Port of Santander expects to receive 18 cruise ships this year with a capacity for 23,471 cruise passengers.
This figure, the second highest in the history of the port, is the result of the work done by the Port Authority of Santander (APS) to promote this segment of traffic.
The president of the APS has indicated that the forecasts are, in principle, "very good" and is confident that the recovery of the sector after the health crisis is "a reality" to revive a tourism of "great importance" for the economy of Cantabria.
Santander 13-01-22. The president of the APS, Francisco Martin, announced this morning that the port has, "so far", among its forecasts for 2022 the reception at its docks of 18 cruise ships "of small and medium size, mostly luxury". The head of the port has pointed out that this figure represents "not only the second highest in the history of the port infrastructure" but also "the recovery of a traffic that has suffered especially during the pandemic". Martin has recalled that it is an industry "of high purchasing power" that also contributes "to deseasonalize tourism".
It should be noted that, until 2019, the year in which 21 cruise ships called at Santander, the annual average ranged between 8 and 13 ships of this type and that, during the last two years, only 3 have visited the port due to the ban on the berthing of international cruise ships in state ports.
Martin has also expressed the importance of the agreements reached by the APS, the Government of Cantabria and the City of Santander to create the Santander Cruise Deluxe brand, which aims to "promote and care for this traffic so that Santander can become a port of reference for cruise ships on the northern coast of the Iberian Peninsula". A recognition that, according to the president of the port, will be increased "with the construction of the new ferry terminal at the Maliaño docks to dedicate the Maritime Station exclusively to cruise traffic".
Tourist recovery
For his part, the Minister of Tourism of the Government of Cantabria and vice president of the port, Javier López Marcano, has valued the port's forecasts, relating them to the general trend of a "gradual tourist recovery after the pandemic". Marcano considers that the dynamism of the cruise passengers is a symptom of the interest in traveling that has been awakened after the strict sanitary measures and the guarantees provided by the vaccination. With sanitary habits and procedures that ensure the safety of travelers and that are internalized in users and professionals, the Cantabrian counselor has highlighted the strategic possibilities of the port of Santander and its bay to stimulate the destination of Cantabria. "The port is an attractive entrance arch to know the valuable heritage of the Cantabrian territory, and our efforts should be oriented to further extend the stay of cruise passengers to provide them with the opportunity to visit the surrounding tourist attractions."
The cruise season in Cantabria will take place, according to forecasts, between the months of April and October, with the Spirit of Adventure being the first ship to call at the Santander dock. This ship, of the company Saga and 236 meters long, has a maximum capacity of 1,000 passengers and will be consigned by Pérez y Cía. It is also worth mentioning the arrival of the ship Ventura, of Carnival P&O, which will visit Santander on six occasions and the World Voyager, of Mystic Cruises, which will do so on two occasions. The World and Amadea cruise ships are scheduled to spend the night at the pier.
In addition, nine of the eighteen ships will arrive at the Cantabrian port for the first time.
The maximum capacity of these ships is 23,471 cruise passengers, although this may be reduced if the restrictions on this type of traffic continue.
Santander, cruise destination
The port of Santander is located in an area of the Atlantic Arc that is traditionally known as the "repositioning" area for cruise ships, i.e. the period when they move from the Mediterranean to Northern Europe or the Caribbean. In fact, the tours that include the port are usually from Hamburg or South of the United Kingdom to Lisbon, the French ports, or from South to North. They usually have a duration of 8 to 12 days and the average stay in port is 6 to 8 hours.