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Cruise calls expanding in Spanish ports and declining in Gibraltar, says party
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The statistics produced by the Government itself show a worrying and marked decline in the cruise industry here in Gibraltar, says the PDP. This is evident despite Government’s assurances to the contrary and the money being spent on attending trade shows abroad.
The Government’s figures show that cruise ship calls have declined by 25% from 2009 to 2010 and that passenger figures are also down by 15% for this same period.
Though we are experiencing difficult financial times globally the ports of Malaga/Cadiz and Barcelona are expanding and are showing growth while in Gibraltar we seem to be losing out, they say.
Two cruise line companies are no longer calling at Gibraltar – Costa Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Lines. The cruise industry is an important element of a successful tourism strategy and the marked decline in figures is clear evidence that the Government is not doing enough to make Gibraltar an attractive port of call to secure and maintain a larger share of the cruise market.
"Gibraltar has so much to offer but we are, unfortunately, falling short of the mark. We need to invest in the right areas to make Gibraltar a port that cruise ships will not want to drop," they said.
24-11-10
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