Year to date · January–August 2026
9.22 million cruise passengers
August 2026 only
1.51 million cruise passengers
First port
2.84 million cruise passengers
Cruise calls
3,286 calls
What the data say · August 2026
Spanish ports received 9.22 million cruise passengers in the year to August 2026, 3.5% more than in the same period of 2025. In August alone, the figure was 1.51 million cruise passengers, 13.1% more than in August 2025.
In August, 15 of the 19 port authorities with data improved on their August 2025 figure.
Cruise calls: 3,286 calls in the year to August 2026, 4.6% more than a year earlier. Barcelona ranks first on this measure, with 577 calls.
Barcelona ranks first among port authorities with 2.84 million cruise passengers in the year to August 2026 (8% more than a year earlier). It is followed by Baleares (1.64 million) and Las Palmas (1.32 million). Together, the three account for 62.9% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Bilbao (+46.4%), Bahía de Cádiz (+18.6%) and Alicante (+11.2%); the steepest falls by Valencia (−26.4%), Baleares (−7.9%) and A Coruña (−7.5%). The comparison is limited to port authorities that account for at least 1% of the total, so that an extreme swing at a small player does not distort the picture.
The rest of the top ten are Santa Cruz de Tenerife (4th, 1.02 million, +9.2%), Bahía de Cádiz (5th, 409,264 cruise passengers, +18.6%), Valencia (6th, 393,698 cruise passengers, −26.4%), Málaga (7th, 311,391 cruise passengers, −2.7%), A Coruña (8th, 282,246 cruise passengers, −7.5%), Alicante (9th, 191,686 cruise passengers, +11.2%) and Vigo (10th, 187,371 cruise passengers, +0.4%).
At the bottom of the table are Castellón (877 cruise passengers), Ceuta (825 cruise passengers) and Avilés (294 cruise passengers), out of a total of 25 port authorities with data.
The distribution is highly concentrated: the top five account for 78.4% of the total and 6 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 15 port authorities further down share the remaining 6.8%. 17 of the 25 port authorities with a comparison grew year on year, 11 of them by double digits, and 8 fell.
Top 10 · Ranking of port authorities · year to date 2026
What this indicator measures
Puertos del Estado counts each cruise passenger at every port where they embark, disembark or are in transit, so the same passenger can be counted at several ports on an itinerary. Calls are the arrivals of cruise ships. Passengers per call indicate the average size of the ships each port receives.
Full table · 28 port authorities
| # | Port authorities | Jan–Aug 2026 | YoY change | August | Monthly change | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona | 2.84 M | +8.0% | 541,768 | +10.9% | 30.8% | Port |
| 2 | Baleares | 1.64 M | −7.9% | 393,270 | +7.5% | 17.8% | Port |
| 3 | Las Palmas | 1.32 M | +8.9% | 12,756 | −34.4% | 14.3% | Port |
| 4 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 1.02 M | +9.2% | 8,007 | −38.9% | 11.0% | Port |
| 5 | Bahía de Cádiz | 409,264 | +18.6% | 78,231 | +29.5% | 4.4% | Port |
| 6 | Valencia | 393,698 | −26.4% | 111,677 | +6.5% | 4.3% | Port |
| 7 | Málaga | 311,391 | −2.7% | 57,146 | +2.3% | 3.4% | Port |
| 8 | A Coruña | 282,246 | −7.5% | 73,245 | +39.1% | 3.1% | Port |
| 9 | Alicante | 191,686 | +11.2% | 32,833 | −28.2% | 2.1% | Port |
| 10 | Vigo | 187,371 | +0.4% | 28,776 | +11.0% | 2.0% | Port |
| 11 | Cartagena | 175,175 | +10.7% | 26,443 | −32.5% | 1.9% | Port |
| 12 | Bilbao | 172,842 | +46.4% | 61,426 | +103.1% | 1.9% | Port |
| 13 | Tarragona | 84,593 | +7.0% | 28,838 | +31.8% | 0.9% | Port |
| 14 | Motril | 67,177 | +168.9% | 12,636 | +664.4% | 0.7% | Port |
| 15 | Gijón | 45,378 | +32.7% | 13,503 | +449.8% | 0.5% | Port |
| 16 | Santander | 37,528 | +54.1% | 15,896 | +244.4% | 0.4% | Port |
| 17 | Sevilla | 13,024 | +20.4% | 712 | +6.9% | 0.1% | Port |
| 18 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 11,084 | +1.6% | 6,107 | +1,922.2% | 0.1% | Port |
| 19 | Almería | 8,914 | −23.4% | 4,333 | +1,481.4% | 0.1% | Port |
| 20 | Melilla | 4,899 | +44.4% | 0 | — | 0.1% | Port |
| 21 | Pasaia | 1,380 | +27.3% | 0 | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 22 | Huelva | 1,122 | −44.3% | 0 | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 23 | Castellón | 877 | −49.5% | 632 | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 24 | Ceuta | 825 | −88.6% | 0 | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 25 | Avilés | 294 | +33.0% | 0 | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 26 | Bahía de Algeciras | — | — | — | — | — | Port |
| 27 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | — | — | — | — | — | Port |
| 28 | Vilagarcía | — | — | — | — | — | Port |
Context
Barcelona is the Mediterranean’s first cruise port, and the Balearic Islands, Las Palmas, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Málaga complete the top positions. Traffic is split into two seasons: the Mediterranean in spring and autumn and the Canary Islands in winter, when ships reposition from northern Europe. The Andalusian ports (Málaga, Cádiz, Sevilla, Motril) seek both transit calls and home-port status.
Frequently asked questions
Which Spanish port has the most cruise passengers?
Barcelona, with 2.84 million cruise passengers in the year to August 2026, 30.8% of the total.
How many cruise passengers have Spanish ports received this year?
9.22 million cruise passengers in the year to August 2026, 3.5% more than in the same period of 2025.
When is this data updated?
Puertos del Estado publishes the data every month. Latest data available: August 2026.
Source
Puertos del Estado. To explore the data in detail, use PortStats · passengers or see the original source.