The Port of Alicante is about to extend its golden period in the cruise segment with the forecast of breaking another record in tourist arrivals in 2024, surpassing the figures of 2023. The provisional programming agreed so far by the Commercial Division of the Authority Portuaria contemplates the arrival of 102 ships from January to December, the same numbers that were expected in the 2023 calendar, but this time with greater capacity to the point of transporting more than 226,000 passengers (226,850) to the city.
Of course, this is still an initial estimate, prepared from the information collected so far, which is subject to modifications, both downwards, due to possible cancellations, and upwards, due to incorporations that are currently not contemplated, such as regularly happens. In fact, 2023 has ended up with 84 arrivals and more than 192,000 passengers, instead of the 102 stops and 187,000 tourists that were expected, according to the statistics released by the Port Authority.
This initial programming for 2024 includes two other especially significant circumstances that demonstrate the confidence of shipping companies in Alicante as a destination. It involves, first of all, the organization of 15 simultaneous arrivals of two ships, which multiplies the presence of visitors on the same day, with expectations of doubling potential consumption in the hospitality and commerce sectors.
However, this situation will be exceeded on 7 November with the arrival of up to four cruise ships in the waters of Alicante, with the scheduled visit of the MSC Orchestra, the Seabourn Ovation, the Aida Prima and the Renaissance. Together, the four ships have a capacity of 7,272 passengers that could all visit the city on the same day.
Aside from this, the second special occurrence is the arrangement of up to 20 boarding and disembarkation operations in Alicante by the shipping company MSC Cruises: the largest number contemplated so far since the arrival in its home port in the city during the summer of 2022.
These visits will take place between May 1 and November 7, which represents the extension to the traditional summer campaign, after it was decided to give up the tours during the winter season for operational reasons, namely the outbreak of the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
Another improvement to the initial programming confirms the addition to MSC Cruises, of shipping companies such as P&O Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceanía Cruises. In fact, among the 101 scheduled stops, only one ship is scheduled to arrive that has never previously called at the Port: the Silver Moon, from the Silversea company, with capacity for 566 passengers, which will visit Alicante on the 14th of December.
The president of the Port Authority, Luis Rodríguez, said in his inauguration speech on December 15, that one of his priorities would be to continue attracting more shipping companies, pointing out that “the port of Alicante is becoming an important tourist port on the rise, and the intention, for this new year, will be to continue working to increase stopovers and passengers, to the benefit of all the municipalities in our area of influence”.
“It should be noted that this cruise tourism arrives at the port of Alicante but is then redistributed to the entire province through tourist itineraries and routes, which are increasingly more attractive and diverse thanks to the cooperation of companies and institutions. This is the strong point we must take advantage of to awaken the interest and confidence of new shipping companies,” he noted.
Meanwhile, the cruise terminal remains immersed in carrying out renovation and modernisation works committed by its manager, the joint venture composed of Global Ports Holding (GPH) and Servicios Portuarios Canarios (Sepcan), upon assuming its operation. This is an action that involves a spend of 1.98 million that will make it possible to repair corrosion problems in the structure of the building and improve its energy efficiency.
In addition, the works will also allow the implementation of an information point for passengers, the creation of two specific areas for baggage collection and the incorporation of more security measures, such as the provision of more X-ray equipment to speed up the reception and screening of passengers, particularly of those ships with capacity for more than 6,000 cruise passengers. These works, carried out by the Zahonero construction company, must be completed by the month of April: the date from which the majority of arrivals are expected to begin.
