Balearic cruise passenger traffic falls 26.2% through May
Palma hosted several luxury vessels on Sunday as the islands prepare for tighter berth limits later this decade.
Ports across the Balearic Islands received 547,318 cruise passengers from January through May, a 26.2% decline from 741,372 in the same period last year.
Four luxury cruise ships arrived in Palma on Sunday, joining another vessel based in the city. The low-capacity ships carried a combined 1,600 cruise passengers. Around two thousand passengers in transit also boarded through an airport connection. Ships in Palma included Silver Ray, Seven Seas Mariner and Aída Stella.
Vidanta World Elegant was also among the vessels docked in Palma. Built in Spain in 1990 by Unión Naval de Levante, it has been refurbished as a boutique cruise ship. Under an agreement between local authorities and the Cruise Lines International Association, Palma’s current limits theoretically allow a maximum of three cruise ships per day. Peak-summer caps target a reduction in the daily average to 7,500 people, while further reductions to cruise ship berths are planned between 2027 and 2029.