MarÃa Cano Olmos, who heads cruise activities for Ports de la Generalitat de Catalunya, told Seatrade Cruise News that the overall participation by some 100 attendees and the quality of presentations and discussion were ‘highly satisfactory’.
Ports de la Generalitat is the regional government unit responsible for 45 ports along the Catalan coast, excluding only Barcelona and Tarragona, which are managed by the Spanish national government's Puertos del Estado. Among the regional ports, Palamós and Roses on the Costa Brava and Sant Carles ce la Rà pita, near the Ebro Delta, are active in the cruise sector.Â
The Symposium, moderated by Juan Madrid, ceo of consultants Barcelona Port Advisers and former president of MedCruise tackled issues related to the role of small cruise ports in the Mediterranean Sea, with timely input from Marcy Sarich, hotel manager of Island Escape, which was docked at Palamós within easy view of participants. MedCruise president Carla Salvado from the Port of Barcelona was a keynote speaker.
The cruise industry, a major opportunity for coastal economies, led off with data presented by Alfredo Serrano, national director of CLIA Spain and regional and international cooperation, a key element for success, included remarks by Jaume Marin, marketing manager for the Costa Brava Tourism Board.
Palamós holds the distinction of being the city with fewer than 25,000 inhabitants with the highest number of cruise passengers in the Mediterranean, 38,612 this year.
