Cruise passenger traffic in Spain rose a healthy 9.4% in 2015Cruise passenger traffic in Spain rose a healthy 9.4% in 2015

As usual, Barcelona led the league table with a 7.4% growth to 2,540,291 passengers, still slightly below 2013 and record year 2011 results. Vessel calls, however, at 750, were down by a minuscule 0.8%, ranking second behind the Balearics. Ports in those islands handled 1,747,868 passengers, a gain of 10.2%, aboard 783 calls, itself a 15.5% gain and an inversion of the capacity factor noted earlier.

Third ranking in both categories went to Las Palmas, with 1,250,423 passengers, up 17.4%, and 542 port calls, a gain of 7.8%. Nearby Santa Cruz de Tenerife reported 933,121 passengers, an increase of 10%, aboard 506 vessel calls, down 2.3% and fourth ranked in both categories. The Canaries in the aggregate served almost 2.2m passengers, not far behind Barcelona.

Málaga registered a 2.6% gain to 418,503 passengers, fifth in volume, aboard 238 port calls, up 4.9%, sixth ranked. The Bay of Cádiz was not far behind, with 411,453 passengers, a 7.9% increase, while its 296 port calls were up by 3.9% and scored fifth place.

Standing seventh in both categories was Valencia, which reported a tiny 0.4% decline to 371,374 passengers, but a sharp 13.1% drop to 172 port calls.Vigo was eighth in passenger volume, with a more than respectable 16.5% gain to 204,979 travellers aboard 82 calls, a mere 1.2% gain and tenth in the Spanish league table.

Number nine in passengers was Cartagena, where 150,476 passengers marked a 9.1% growth and 109 vessel calls exactly matched the prior year, scoring eighth place. A Coruña came tenth in passengers at 140,444, up by 8.4%, and 92 vessel calls took ninth position, up by 58.8%.