Officials in the Balearic Islands will seek to restrict cruise ships to a maximum of three ships per day at its largest port, which is the first such transaction in the country. Spain.
The local government stated in a statement that starting from 2022, daily cruises arriving in Palma de Mallorca will be limited to three cruise ships as far as possible, and one of them will be allowed to become a large cruise ship carrying more than 5,000 people.
Officials described the transaction as historically significant, and it is estimated that compared to 2019, it will cause arrivals at one of the busiest cruise ports in the Mediterranean to drop by 13%.
For many years, the cruise ship parade through Palma has been a source of friction, making environmental issues contradict the economic benefits of the industry. As many as eight ships arrived on the same day, Disperse more than 22,000 people into the maze of narrow streets in Palma’s old town.
In 2019, more than 2.6 million cruise ship tourists visited the Balearic Islands, and more than 25 organizations joined forces to call for restrictions on ships To one person a day It can accommodate up to 4,000 visitors.
“The tourism industry of large cruise ships arriving in Palma has developed in an unsustainable and unwelcome way, leading to serious environmental impacts and increasing social protests,” They said in the joint declaration.
“Overcrowding of tourists degrades our historical and cultural heritage, turning urban spaces into theme parks for tourists only, and reducing the travel experience of others.”
The local government said that the deal has been brewing for more than two years.
“This means that it is the first time that cruise passengers are really restricted from reaching Palma. This would not be possible without the will of the department,” said Iago Negueruela, a regional official in charge of economy and tourism.
Negueruela told the media that Dubrovnik in Croatia and Aalborg in Denmark had reached a similar deal. Spanish newspaper El País. “We are the first company to do this in a port as big as Palma.”
The government stated that since cruise ship arrivals are usually arranged several months in advance, the new daily limit will include less than 20 days of exemption to fulfill previously signed contracts. In these days, the limit on cruise ship arrivals will increase to four, but the total number of passengers per week will be limited to 59,500.
The five-year agreement has been criticized by critics and supporters of cruise travel. Some people, such as those opposed to the MegaCruises platform, said that there seems to be no change.
“Three cruise ships every day — one of which carries more than 5,000 passengers — still seems to us to be a very high number that the city can afford,” it said. “The local government missed the opportunity to make brave decisions to protect the residents of the Balearic Islands, their environment, health and urban rights.”
Competitive platform Yes to Cruises describes efforts to restrict the industry as “mistakes” that can have a serious impact on the economy. 2015 Port Authority Study It is estimated that cruise-related tourism supports more than 5,500 jobs and contributes 256 million euros in direct and indirect revenue to the region.
The platform’s spokesperson and local tour guide Álex Fraile said that this will set a precedent: “The next step is to restrict the arrival of aircraft. [Mallorca’s] St. Jean Airport? “.
