In 2024, Spanish ports achieved a historic milestone by welcoming over 12.8 million cruise passengers, representing a 6.7% increase compared to 2023. Also, 4,700 ships docked at the local ports, 200 more than last year.
The previous record was set in 2023, with just over 12 million cruise passengers and 4,500 ships, surpassing the pre-pandemic levels of 2019.
In 2024, total passenger traffic in Spain, which includes regular lines and cruises, reached 40.8 million users—28 million on regular lines and 12.8 million on cruises. This overall figure represents a 4% increase compared to 2023.
In December, the total number of passengers (both regular and cruise) surpassed 2.7 million, marking a growth of 9.4%. Of these passengers, 1.8 million traveled on regular lines, an increase of 3.4%, while 914,468 were on cruises, showing a significant rise of 23.6%. Additionally, 371 ships docked in December, 76 more than in December 2023.
In 2024, the total number of cruise passengers was highest at the port of Barcelona, with 3.6 million passengers, representing a 2.4% increase compared to 2023. Following Barcelona were the Balearic Islands with 2.5 million passengers (a decrease of 0.8%), Las Palmas with 1.8 million passengers (an increase of 23.7%), and Santa Cruz de Tenerife with 1.3 million passengers (a rise of 19%).
Regarding the number of cruise ships, Barcelona also led with 791 ships throughout the year, representing 1.6% less than the previous year. The Balearic Islands followed with 774 ships (an increase of 2.1%), Las Palmas with 735 ships (a rise of 15%), and Santa Cruz de Tenerife with 590 ships (up by 10.3%).
