- Region
- Águilas
- Alhama de Murcia
- Jumilla
- Lorca
- Los Alcázares
- Mazarrón
- San Javier
-
ALL AREAS & TOWNS
- AREAS
- SOUTH WEST
- MAR MENOR
- MURCIA CITY & CENTRAL
- NORTH & NORTH WEST
- TOWNS
- Abanilla
- Abarán
- Aguilas
- Alamillo
- Alcantarilla
- Aledo
- Alhama de Murcia
- Archena
- Balsicas
- Blanca
- Bolnuevo
- Bullas
- Cañadas del Romero
- Cabo de Palos
- Calasparra
- Camping Bolnuevo
- Campo De Ricote
- Camposol
- Canada De La Lena
- Caravaca de la Cruz
- Cartagena
- Cehegin
- Ceuti
- Cieza
- Condado de Alhama
- Corvera
- Costa Cálida
- Cuevas De Almanzora
- Cuevas de Reyllo
- El Carmoli
- El Mojon
- El Molino (Puerto Lumbreras)
- El Pareton / Cantareros
- El Raso
- El Valle Golf Resort
- Fortuna
- Fuente Alamo
- Hacienda del Alamo Golf Resort
- Hacienda Riquelme Golf Resort
- Isla Plana
- Islas Menores & Mar de Cristal
- Jumilla
- La Azohia
- La Charca
- La Manga Club
- La Manga del Mar Menor
- La Pinilla
- La Puebla
- La Torre
- La Torre Golf Resort
- La Unión
- Las Palas
- Las Ramblas
- Las Ramblas Golf
- Las Torres de Cotillas
- Leiva
- Librilla
- Lo Pagan
- Lo Santiago
- Lorca
- Lorquí
- Los Alcázares
- Los Balcones
- Los Belones
- Los Canovas
- Los Nietos
- Los Perez (Tallante)
- Los Urrutias
- Los Ventorrillos
- Mar De Cristal
- Mar Menor
- Mar Menor Golf Resort
- Mazarrón
- Mazarrón Country Club
- Molina de Segura
- Moratalla
- Mula
- Murcia City
- Murcia Property
- Pareton
- Peraleja Golf Resort
- Perin
- Pilar de la Horadada
- Pinar de Campoverde
- Pinoso
- Playa Honda
- Playa Honda / Playa Paraíso
- Pliego
- Portmán
- Pozo Estrecho
- Puerto de Mazarrón
- Puerto Lumbreras
- Puntas De Calnegre
- Region of Murcia
- Ricote
- Roda Golf Resort
- Roldan
- Roldan and Lo Ferro
- San Javier
- San Pedro del Pinatar
- Santiago de la Ribera
- Sierra Espuña
- Sucina
- Tallante
- Terrazas de la Torre Golf Resort
- Torre Pacheco
- Totana
- What's On Weekly Bulletin
- Yecla
- EDITIONS: Spanish News Today Alicante Today Andalucia Today
ARCHIVED - Malaga first mainland Spanish port to resume cruise ship tourism
The Mein Schiff2 operated by TUI is following a route along the coast having departed from the Balearic Islands
Minutes before 06:00 on Tuesday June 15, the Mein Schiff2, the first cruise ship to dock in Málaga following a 15-month hiatus due to the covid pandemic, moored in the north dock of the Levante maritime station.
With 1205 passengers on board, the vessel operated by the TUI Cruises company, will remain in port until 6:00 p.m.
The arrival of this first cruise ship since the covid lockdowns first began was greeted with great enthusiasm by the Andalusian tourism authorities, who put on a display of regional folk dancing to welcome passengers as they disembarked.
Also waiting to welcome the visitors in the controlled disembarcation at 08.00, was Mayor of Malaga, Francisco de la Torre, and the president of the port authority, Carlos Rubio.
The cruising sector is very obviously determined to ensure that all goes well and that passengers feel fully confident in booking cruises once again, so the hygiene protocols for passengers arriving in port aim to ensure that they are kept within a protective “bubble”, as are all members of the public with whom they come into contact.
For this reason, passengers are not given free rein to explore independently as would normally be the case and are instead being carefully secured within their cruise ship bubble by participating in excursions from the ports at which the vessel stops; in this case buses were waiting to whisk passengers off to Ronda, Mijas, Marbella and the Caminito del Rey, with a cycling excursion also on offer.
There’s a lot at stake for the tourism sector; normally cruise ships generate an economic impact of around 41.6 million euros on the Costa del Sol, the average cruise ship passenger spending 62 euros in a 5 hour stop-off in any given port. A typical stop-off in Málaga will generate around 300,000 euros in revenue for the city, creating work for tour guides, generating revenue for local shops and businesses and work for local suppliers of products and services to the vessel itself.
The British represent the largest market for cruise ship operators visiting Spanish ports, with 30 per cent of cruisers from the UK and 18 per cent from Germany.
Images: Ayto-Málaga.