During the first half of 2024, the Porto Cruise Terminal/Puerto Leixoes (Portugal) recorded 71 cruise ship calls and 73,341 passengers, reflecting a 27% increase in ship calls and a 10% increase in passenger numbers compared to 2023-H1.
Notably, 2024-H1 saw 7 maiden ship calls, out of the 19 planned for the entire year.
April and May experienced the highest concentration of cruise activity, with 45 vessels bringing ~46,000 passengers to the region during these 2 months alone.
The majority of passengers visiting the Porto Cruise Terminal and the Porto & North of Portugal region hailed from the UK (36%), followed by Germany (29%) and the USA (23%).
There has also been a significant increase in the size of the ships, with gross tonnage (GT) growing by 9% in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
If current forecasts are accurate, the Porto Cruise Terminal is on track to achieve record numbers by the end of the year.
A total of 162 cruise ship calls are already scheduled, and passenger numbers are expected to exceed 150,000.