Majorca Island has proposed the continuation of restrictions on the number of daily visiting cruise ships in Palma de Mallorca.
Plans have been approved to maintain the limit on tourist-carrying ships arriving at the port, following calls from politicians in Madrid for stringent regulations on cruise activities in Spain.
In May 2022, the Balearic island restricted daily cruise ship arrivals to 3 vessels, allowing only one ship with a capacity of 5000+ passengers. The Committee on Tourism, Trade, Employment, Culture, and Sport is collaborating with the Balearic Government and cruise lines to renew the agreement and stagger vessel arrivals.
These measures aim to protect the environment and mitigate overtourism in this popular Spanish destination. The restrictions are expected to impact British holidaymakers, with 2.3 million having visited Majorca in 2023.
Last October, 8 local businesses, including bars and restaurants, urged the government to lift the cruise restrictions following an 18% decline in passenger numbers.
Palma currently welcomes annually 2+ million cruise tourists arriving on multi-port Mediterranean voyages.