The Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras (APBA) is participating this week in Seatrade Cruise Med 2026, which is being held in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on September 16 and 17, with the aim of presenting the possibilities of the ports of Algeciras and Tarifa to shipping companies, operators, and businesses related to the cruise industry.
The APBA delegation will develop a meeting agenda with sector representatives during the professional event and expects to finalize several cruise calls for the coming months. The port authority aims to position the Campo de Gibraltar among the options for companies interested in adding new destinations and excursions to their itineraries.
Seatrade Cruise Med will bring together more than 2,000 professionals related to shipping companies, ports, tour operators, and specialized companies at the Cruise Terminal of the Port of Las Palmas. The fair is one of the main events of the cruise industry linked to the Mediterranean and its seas and will allow participants to hold business meetings and learn about the offerings of different destinations.
The APBA will have an exhibition space within the Spanish Port Authority stand and will participate under the umbrella of Suncruise Andalucía. From this space, it will showcase the characteristics of Algeciras and Tarifa to receive this type of traffic, along with the possibilities offered by the Campo de Gibraltar to organize excursions during the calls.
The proposal that the institution will present to the companies includes cultural, heritage, natural, sporting, and gastronomic resources located both in the municipalities of the region and its surroundings. The geographical location in the Strait of Gibraltar is also one of the elements of the offer presented to shipping companies for the configuration of new itineraries.
The presence at Seatrade Cruise Med occurs at a time when the Port Authority expects to receive several calls in the coming months. The strategy is to take advantage of the available facilities and the proximity of different tourist resources to progressively expand cruise activity, a traffic that currently has a reduced weight within the overall operations of the Bay of Algeciras.
Algeciras has conditions to accommodate calls within the itineraries that cross the Strait, while Tarifa presents different characteristics due to the size and configuration of its facilities. The APBA proposes both infrastructures as complementary options depending on the characteristics of the ships and the routes scheduled by the companies.
Among the arguments that the delegation will take to the fair is also the total solar eclipse expected on August 2, 2027. The Strait of Gibraltar will be located within the path of totality of the astronomical phenomenon, a circumstance that may generate interest for the tourism and cruise programming for that date.
According to the data included in the information provided by the Port Authority, the totality phase will last more than four minutes in the narrowest part of the Strait and will occur approximately between 10:45 and 10:49 hours. The uniqueness of the phenomenon opens a specific possibility for companies to incorporate the area of the Strait into their programming coinciding with the eclipse.
The participation of the APBA in the fair will also include a technical aspect specifically related to Tarifa. The delegation plans to visit the Port of San Sebastián de La Gomera to learn about its operations in serving cruise ships.
The Port Authority considers that this infrastructure presents characteristics that can serve as a reference for Tarifa. During the visit, its managers will learn on the ground about the system used by the Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife to manage the calls and the needs associated with this type of traffic.
The experience of San Sebastián de La Gomera will allow the analysis of procedures applicable to port facilities of different sizes and characteristics from large specialized terminals. The visit is thus integrated into the work that the APBA is developing to study the necessary conditions to accommodate future calls in Tarifa.
With its participation in Seatrade Cruise Med, the Port Authority will focus its agenda this week on direct contacts with companies and professionals in the sector, the presentation of available resources in the Campo de Gibraltar, and knowledge of operational models that may be useful for the reception of cruises in its facilities.
