Spanish state-owned ports received 2,503 cruise ships in the first half of 2026, a 1.4% increase compared to the same period of the previous year. In parallel, they moved 6,380,793 cruise passengers, a figure that exceeds by 1.8% that recorded between January and June 2025. The data, published by Ports of the State as of June 30, keeps the cruise segment at record levels and above the volumes prior to the pandemic.
Las Palmas leads the ranking for the number of cruise ship calls, with 500 arrivals recorded between January and June and a 9.4% increase compared to the equivalent semester of the previous year. Santa Cruz de Tenerife occupies the second position with 424 calls (+6.3%) and the Port of Barcelona the third with 395 (+2.9%). Balearic Islands drops to 304 calls, an 11.6% decrease compared to 2025.
The Port Authority of the Bay of Cádiz ends the semester with 158 cruise ships received, a 12.1% increase compared to a year earlier. Málaga adds 143 calls (-5.3%) and Valencia 120 (-9.8%). Cartagena grows by 9.6% to 80 arrivals, A Coruña records 69 (-6.8%) and Vigo 50 (-2%). Alicante adds 47 ships (+9.3%), Sevilla 46 (+12.2%) and Bilbao 38 (-2.6%).
In terms of passenger traffic, the Port of Barcelona leads with 1,772,470 people moved in the semester, a 4.8% increase compared to 2025. Las Palmas holds the second position with 1,300,770 passengers (+9.6%) and Santa Cruz de Tenerife the third with 1,000,417 (+10.2%). Balearic Islands registers 867,943 passengers, an 18.3% decrease compared to the equivalent semester of the previous year, the largest percentage decline among the major cruise ports in the system.
The Port Authority of the Bay of Cádiz ends the semester with 255,170 cruise passengers, a 21.4% increase compared to 2025 and the largest percentage rise among ports with more than 200,000 passengers. Valencia declines by 23.9% to 237,548 passengers and Málaga drops by 3.3% to 199,529. A Coruña receives 153,325 passengers (-16.3%), Alicante 137,180 (+40.7%), Cartagena 117,593 (+33.5%) and Vigo 108,590 (-7%).
Among ports with intermediate volumes, Bilbao grows by 35.7% to 74,162 passengers, Tarragona records 36,992 (-4.3%) and Gijón 29,836 (+28.9%). Motril multiplies its figure compared to the previous year and reaches 40,630 passengers (+91.6%), while Melilla receives 4,899 (+44.4%). On the opposite side, Almería declines by 37.3% to 4,581 passengers, Huelva by 44.3% (1,122) and Ferrol-San Cibrao by 54.5% (4,822). Castellón, with 245 passengers, falls by 85.9% compared to the previous semester, and Ceuta loses 88.6% to 825. Vilagarcía and Marín-Ría de Pontevedra do not register any cruise passengers in the first semester.
In absolute terms, Barcelona, Las Palmas, and Santa Cruz de Tenerife account for 4,073,657 passengers, 63.8% of the national total. The sum of the top five ports, the three previous ones plus Balearic Islands and Bay of Cádiz, reaches 5,196,770 passengers, around 81% of the national traffic for the semester. The distribution of business combines major base ports in the Mediterranean, where the start and end of routes prevail, with the Canary Islands, with a strong weight of traffic in transit from the Atlantic winter itineraries.
The data published by Ports of the State include passengers in start and end of routes and those who are in transit. The figures for ships include all situations recorded by the agency, including ships with no incidents, under repair, in provisioning, under construction, being scrapped, or inactive, as specified in the summary tables.