2017 total
9.28 million cruise passengers
First port · 2017
2.71 million cruise passengers
Series high, 2012–2025
14.1 million cruise passengers
Cruise calls
4,238 calls
The 2017 balance
Spanish ports received 9.28 million cruise passengers in 2017, 6.8% more than in 2016 (588,052 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: 2017 was 34.2% below it and ranks 6th of the 14 years with data. At the end of 2017 it was the highest figure in the series, which starts in 2012; it was later exceeded in 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024 and 2025.
In the 2017 ranking, the ports moving up on 2016 are A Coruña (from 10th to 9th); those moving down are Vigo (from 9th to 10th). The top three positions are unchanged.
Cruise calls: 4,238 calls in 2017, 8.1% more than in 2016. Baleares ranks first on this measure, with 825 calls.
Barcelona ranks first among port authorities with 2.71 million cruise passengers in 2017 (1.1% more than in 2016). It is followed by Baleares (2.13 million) and Las Palmas (1.24 million). Together, the three account for 65.6% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by A Coruña (+45.2%), Cartagena (+25.8%) and Málaga (+14.7%); the steepest falls by Vigo (−17.2%). 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, 964,336 cruise passengers, +9.2%), Málaga (5th, 509,644 cruise passengers, +14.7%), Valencia (6th, 412,328 cruise passengers, +2.2%), Bahía de Cádiz (7th, 387,109 cruise passengers, +0.5%), Cartagena (8th, 236,279 cruise passengers, +25.8%), A Coruña (9th, 184,069 cruise passengers, +45.2%) and Vigo (10th, 140,188 cruise passengers, −17.2%).
At the bottom of the table are Castellón (411 cruise passengers), Bahía de Algeciras (381 cruise passengers) and Marín y Ría de Pontevedra (143 cruise passengers), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is highly concentrated: the top five account for 81.4% of the total and 5 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 3.9%. 15 of the 26 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2016, 9 of them by double digits, and 11 fell.
Of the 12 months of 2017 with data, 8 are above the same month of 2016 and 4 below; over the last three months (October, November, December) the figure is up 19.4% on the same months of 2016; the largest year-on-year difference was in December (up 45.8%); the highest point in the series was October, at 1.26 M, and the lowest February, at 317,932.
Between 2012 and 2017 the figure went from 7.6 M to 9.28 M, an increase of 22.2% over 5 years (+4.1% 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 · 2017
Month by month · 2017 vs 2016
Annual series, 2012–2017
Full table · 28 port authorities · 2017
| # | Port authorities | 2017 | Change on 2016 | 2016 | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona | 2.71 M | +1.1% | 2.68 M | 29.2% | Port |
| 2 | Baleares | 2.13 M | +8.6% | 1.96 M | 23.0% | Port |
| 3 | Las Palmas | 1.24 M | +12.5% | 1.1 M | 13.4% | Port |
| 4 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 964,336 | +9.2% | 883,339 | 10.4% | Port |
| 5 | Málaga | 509,644 | +14.7% | 444,176 | 5.5% | Port |
| 6 | Valencia | 412,328 | +2.2% | 403,264 | 4.4% | Port |
| 7 | Bahía de Cádiz | 387,109 | +0.5% | 385,067 | 4.2% | Port |
| 8 | Cartagena | 236,279 | +25.8% | 187,813 | 2.5% | Port |
| 9 | A Coruña | 184,069 | +45.2% | 126,735 | 2.0% | Port |
| 10 | Vigo | 140,188 | −17.2% | 169,223 | 1.5% | Port |
| 11 | Alicante | 86,482 | −2.8% | 89,000 | 0.9% | Port |
| 12 | Bilbao | 84,209 | −2.8% | 86,598 | 0.9% | Port |
| 13 | Tarragona | 51,394 | +282.3% | 13,445 | 0.6% | Port |
| 14 | Almería | 25,975 | −9.5% | 28,692 | 0.3% | Port |
| 15 | Sevilla | 23,916 | +13.8% | 21,010 | 0.3% | Port |
| 16 | Gijón | 21,813 | −33.5% | 32,804 | 0.2% | Port |
| 17 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 20,379 | +1.6% | 20,061 | 0.2% | Port |
| 18 | Ceuta | 17,045 | −12.4% | 19,456 | 0.2% | Port |
| 19 | Santander | 14,663 | +522.9% | 2,354 | 0.2% | Port |
| 20 | Huelva | 6,359 | −67.5% | 19,573 | 0.1% | Port |
| 21 | Motril | 4,005 | −12.4% | 4,570 | 0.0% | Port |
| 22 | Avilés | 2,512 | −7.2% | 2,707 | 0.0% | Port |
| 23 | Vilagarcía | 1,596 | +110.6% | 758 | 0.0% | Port |
| 24 | Pasaia | 809 | +41.2% | 573 | 0.0% | Port |
| 25 | Castellón | 411 | −62.5% | 1,095 | 0.0% | Port |
| 26 | Bahía de Algeciras | 381 | — | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 27 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 143 | — | — | 0.0% | Port |
| 28 | Melilla | 0 | −100.0% | — | 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 2017?
Barcelona, with 2.71 million cruise passengers in 2017, 29.2% of the total.
What was the cruise passenger traffic figure for Spanish ports in 2017?
9.28 million cruise passengers in 2017, 6.8% more than in 2016.
Was 2017 a record year?
At the time, yes: at the end of 2017, 9.28 million cruise passengers was the highest annual figure in the series, which starts in 2012. It was later exceeded in 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.