Cruise ship visits to Lisbon, Portugal, have hit a document excessive in 2022, with the Port of Lisbon reporting 103 turnaround cruise calls and 88,292 passengers that embarked or disembarked within the port. It is a vital improve from the numbers reported in 2019, with a 43% development in port calls and a 21% development in passenger numbers.
Lisbon’s rising fame as a well-liked vacationer vacation spot and an necessary turn-around port for transatlantic voyages has led to this improve in reputation amongst cruise strains.
Lisbon as a Fashionable Vacationer Vacation spot
Not solely is Lisbon a picturesque and historic metropolis, however it is usually a handy cease for cruises touring between Northern and Western Europe to the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands.
In line with the port of Lisbon, in 2022, the port recorded 327 cruise ship calls bringing 492,438 individuals to the town, representing a development of 5.5% in comparison with the 310 calls made in 2019. Of these 327 ships, 103 calls had been made to carry out embarkations or disembarkations.
Many cruise strains, comparable to Norwegian Cruise Line, AIDA, Fred Olsen Cruise Line, and P&O Cruises, have frequent stops year-round in Lisbon, and in the course of the summer season, practically all main cruise strains use Lisbon as a turnaround port or cease on certainly one of their cruises.
The port is usually the final port of name in mainland Europe earlier than transatlantic voyages and the primary port of name after a repositioning cruise from the US. The rise in tourism arrivals to the attractive Portuguese capital metropolis is sweet for tourism and has a major financial influence.
In line with the Port of Lisbon administration (APL): “The curiosity by cruise operators to embark and disembark their ships” in Lisbon is clear. This isn’t solely excellent news for the town’s tourism trade, nevertheless it additionally brings vital financial advantages.”
“A passenger embarked in Lisbon spends a mean of €367 within the metropolis, in accordance with a research of the financial influence of cruise exercise in Lisbon. Because of this in 2022, the 45,276 passengers who embarked on the port of Lisbon generated roughly €17 million of direct financial influence.”
Only in the near past, the port of Lisbon welcomed the UK’s largest-ever cruise ship, the Excel Class Arvia.
Recognition for Lisbon’s Success
Regardless of having had extra port calls, the port of Lisbon didn’t document a rise within the variety of complete cruise passengers, primarily as a consequence of well being protocols on board. For a big chunk of 2022, cruise ships sailed with a considerably decrease occupancy than the norm.
Nonetheless, this didn’t diminish the success of the port and the town as a complete. The Lisbon cruise terminal was acknowledged as the perfect in Europe by the World Cruise Awards in 2022, additional solidifying its fame as a prime vacation spot for cruise ship guests.
The Chairman of the Lisbon Port Authority, Carlos Correia, highlighted the significance of this recognition: “This distinction is a transparent recognition of the work developed by the port, the town and all of the brokers concerned within the cruise sector, who’ve been in a position to adapt and overcome the challenges introduced by the pandemic.”
Lisbon provides quite a lot of excursions for cruise passengers to get pleasure from. Guests can discover the historic metropolis middle and admire the structure for which the town is legendary. Taking a conventional tram trip via the town can be a well-liked approach to expertise the tradition and views of Lisbon.
Wine lovers can take a tour of the close by wine areas and style among the native wines. For these on the lookout for a extra laid-back expertise, there are many alternatives to calm down on the town’s many seashores.
