2015 total
8.65 million cruise passengers
First port · 2015
2.54 million cruise passengers
Series high, 2012–2025
14.1 million cruise passengers
Cruise calls
3,857 calls
The 2015 balance
Spanish ports received 8.65 million cruise passengers in 2015, 12.1% more than in 2014 (935,165 cruise passengers more). This is the year-end balance according to Puertos del Estado’s monthly statistics, with December data for the 28 port authorities.
The high point of the 2012–2025 series is 2025, with 14.1 million cruise passengers: 2015 was 38.7% below it and ranks 8th of the 14 years with data. At the end of 2015 it was the highest figure in the series, which starts in 2012; it was later exceeded in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
The top ten positions in the 2015 ranking are the same, and in the same order, as in 2014.
Cruise calls: 3,857 calls in 2015, 4.2% more than in 2014. Baleares ranks first on this measure, with 788 calls.
Barcelona ranks first among port authorities with 2.54 million cruise passengers in 2015 (7.4% more than in 2014). It is followed by Baleares (1.96 million) and Las Palmas (1.25 million). Together, the three account for 66.5% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Baleares (+23.5%), Las Palmas (+17.6%) and Vigo (+16.5%); the steepest falls by Valencia (−0.4%). 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, 933,417 cruise passengers, +10.1%), Málaga (5th, 418,503 cruise passengers, +2.6%), Bahía de Cádiz (6th, 411,455 cruise passengers, +7.9%), Valencia (7th, 371,374 cruise passengers, −0.4%), Vigo (8th, 204,979 cruise passengers, +16.5%), Cartagena (9th, 150,795 cruise passengers, +9.3%) and A Coruña (10th, 140,451 cruise passengers, +8.4%).
At the bottom of the table are Vilagarcía (1,190 cruise passengers), Pasaia (758 cruise passengers) and Castellón (366 cruise passengers), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is highly concentrated: the top five account for 82.1% of the total and 5 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 3.1%. 19 of the 25 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2014, 13 of them by double digits, and 6 fell.
Of the 12 months of 2015 with data, 11 are above the same month of 2014 and 1 below; over the last three months (October, November, December) the figure is up 15.3% on the same months of 2014; the largest year-on-year difference was in December (up 41.7%); the highest point in the series was October, at 1.06 M, and the lowest February, at 384,749.
Between 2012 and 2015 the figure went from 7.6 M to 8.65 M, an increase of 13.8% over 3 years (+4.4% a year on average); the last year is the high point of the series and the low was 2012 (7.6 M).
Top 10 · Ranking of port authorities · 2015
Month by month · 2015 vs 2014
Annual series, 2012–2015
Full table · 28 port authorities · 2015
| # | Port authorities | 2015 | Change on 2014 | 2014 | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona | 2.54 M | +7.4% | 2.36 M | 29.4% | Port |
| 2 | Baleares | 1.96 M | +23.5% | 1.59 M | 22.7% | Port |
| 3 | Las Palmas | 1.25 M | +17.6% | 1.07 M | 14.5% | Port |
| 4 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 933,417 | +10.1% | 848,159 | 10.8% | Port |
| 5 | Málaga | 418,503 | +2.6% | 407,870 | 4.8% | Port |
| 6 | Bahía de Cádiz | 411,455 | +7.9% | 381,302 | 4.8% | Port |
| 7 | Valencia | 371,374 | −0.4% | 373,013 | 4.3% | Port |
| 8 | Vigo | 204,979 | +16.5% | 176,019 | 2.4% | Port |
| 9 | Cartagena | 150,795 | +9.3% | 137,989 | 1.7% | Port |
| 10 | A Coruña | 140,451 | +8.4% | 129,597 | 1.6% | Port |
| 11 | Alicante | 82,316 | +138.0% | 34,583 | 1.0% | Port |
| 12 | Bilbao | 70,542 | −12.0% | 80,206 | 0.8% | Port |
| 13 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 21,559 | −44.7% | 39,017 | 0.2% | Port |
| 14 | Sevilla | 17,730 | +11.0% | 15,970 | 0.2% | Port |
| 15 | Almería | 17,304 | +2.6% | 16,870 | 0.2% | Port |
| 16 | Gijón | 16,140 | +19.2% | 13,536 | 0.2% | Port |
| 17 | Tarragona | 12,277 | +547.9% | 1,895 | 0.1% | Port |
| 18 | Santander | 8,614 | −42.4% | 14,957 | 0.1% | Port |
| 19 | Motril | 6,481 | −66.9% | 19,589 | 0.1% | Port |
| 20 | Huelva | 3,730 | — | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 21 | Avilés | 2,454 | +244.2% | 713 | 0.0% | Port |
| 22 | Ceuta | 1,587 | −25.9% | 2,141 | 0.0% | Port |
| 23 | Melilla | 1,352 | +432.3% | 254 | 0.0% | Port |
| 24 | Vilagarcía | 1,190 | +15.3% | 1,032 | 0.0% | Port |
| 25 | Pasaia | 758 | +12.3% | 675 | 0.0% | Port |
| 26 | Castellón | 366 | +181.5% | 130 | 0.0% | Port |
| 27 | Bahía de Algeciras | 0 | — | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 28 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 0 | — | — | 0.0% | Port |
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.
Frequently asked questions
Which was Spain’s first port by cruise passenger traffic in 2015?
Barcelona, with 2.54 million cruise passengers in 2015, 29.4% of the total.
What was the cruise passenger traffic figure for Spanish ports in 2015?
8.65 million cruise passengers in 2015, 12.1% more than in 2014.
Was 2015 a record year?
At the time, yes: at the end of 2015, 8.65 million cruise passengers was the highest annual figure in the series, which starts in 2012. It was later exceeded in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024 and 2025; the high point of the 2012–2025 series is 2025, with 14.1 million cruise passengers.
Source
Puertos del Estado. To explore the data in detail, use PortStats · cruise passengers by port, annual series or see the original source.