Porto Cruise Terminal: Growing Number of Passengers
The cruise activity at Porto Cruise Terminal in the first half of 2023 has seen an 88% increase in the number of passengers and a 12% increase in the number of cruises compared to the same period in 2022. In the first six months of the year, the port welcomed a total of 56 cruise ships, seven of which were visiting the port for the first time, and carried 68,203 passengers. This marks the best cruise season in the port’s history.
Compared to the first half of 2018, which was the best year for the number of cruises, Porto Cruise Terminal’s activity has grown by 21%. Additionally, there has been a 42% increase compared to 2019, the last pre-pandemic year. There has also been an 8% growth in the number of cruise ships, both in comparison to 2018 and 2019.
Porto Cruise Terminal
The majority of passengers visiting Porto Cruise Terminal and the northern region of Portugal came from the United Kingdom (41%), followed by Germany (26%) and the United States (20%).
Not only is the number of cruise passengers increasing, but the size of the ships calling at the port is also growing. The average length of the ships was 218.5 meters, indicating a 3.1% growth compared to 2022. In 2018 and 2019, the growth was 6.6% and 10.3%, respectively. The total GT (Gross Tonnage) in these first six months has recorded a 29.4% increase compared to 2022 and a 36% and 26.1% increase compared to the pre-pandemic years of 2018 and 2019, respectively.
Porto Cruise Terminal
With 127 cruise ship calls already planned for 2023 and expectations of over 150,000 passengers visiting Porto and destinations in northern Portugal, this year is shaping up to be a record-breaking year for Porto Cruise Terminal.
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