Cruising brought €5m to Tarragona this year, port predicts 95,000 passengers in 2023

The findings and forecasts were revealed earlier this month following a meeting of the Tarragona Institutional Cruise Committee, which took stock of the 2022 season starting in April.

2023 forecast

Tarragona's forecasts at the beginning of the 2022 season were for around 38 stopovers and between 55,000 and 60,000 passengers. The final figures for this year were 35 calls and 64,470  passengers.

A steep increase of 50 stopovers and 95,000 passengers are expected for the coming season, still below the port’s 2019 record when it handled some 130,000 passengers.

‘It can be considered a symptom of the sector’s recovery that we are approaching pre-pandemic levels and that Tarragona’s cruise model is sustainable compared to those of Barcelona or Venice in terms of demographic and environmental impact,’ stated Tarragona Port Authority President Saül Garreta.

2022 trends

Of this year’s stopovers in Tarragona, 11 were between March and June – before the peak summer months – with 20 taking place from September to November, showing a widening of the tourist season.

A satisfaction survey by Eurecat-Centre Tecnològic de Catalunya (URV) showed an increase in passengers choosing to visit the territory by purchasing an excursion or making their own arrangements, from 93% in 2019 to 96% this year.

The vast majority of cruise passengers in transit chose to visit the city and local region independently, with the next highest number taking guided tours.

When it came to passengers’ general evaluation of the destination, a score of 8.9 out of 10 was awarded, the same figure as in 2019.

52% of visitors acknowledged Tarragona met their expectations, 41.5% stated it exceeded them, and 93.1% of cruise passengers said they would recommend the port city as a destination.

Sustainable development

The Institutional Cruise Committee, comprised of the main institutions and companies linked to tourism in Tarragona, aims additionally to diversify tours in order to avoid overcrowding by offering a wide choice of destinations spanning the whole of the Camp de Tarragona and Terres de l'Ebre region, including the Conca de Barberà, Priorat, Terres de l'Ebre regions and the towns of Tarragona, Reus and Vila-seca.

In addition to Garreta, some key figures who attended the meeting were Costa Daurada Tourism Board Director Marta Farrero, Mayor of Tarragona Pau Ricomà, Tarragona Councillor for Trade, Fairs, Markets and Consumption Dídac Nadal, Generalitat of Catalunya Deputy General Director of Tourism Planning and Inspection Anna M. Martínez and Tarragona Chamber of Commerce President Laura Roigé, among others.