Ibiza, a popular island destination found within the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula, welcomed an unprecedented number of cruise passengers in 2023.
It was already known that the Balearic Islands, which include Ibiza, Mallorca, Menorca, and Formentera, had an extremely busy 2023 in terms of cruise tourism – with the islands welcoming a combined 2,324,157 guests between January and October.
But new analysis conducted by Ibiza’s Preservation Sustainability Observatory has now revealed the true scope of the record number of visits received by the second largest of the Balearic islands.
The environmentally-focused organization compiled data from the Institut d’Estadística de les Illes Balears (IBESTAT), the Port Authority, and the Ports of the Balearic Islands to find that Ibiza welcomed 548,969 cruise passengers in 2023.
This figure represents an 86% increase on the 295,368 passengers tallied for 2022 – and far exceeds the number of permanent residents who live on the island – approximately 159,180 – nearly 3.5 times over.
The previous record was set in 2019, when nearly 400,000 cruisers visited the island throughout the year. The new numbers surpass this record by 39%.
Of course, more passengers can only come with more cruise ship calls. In 2023, the island welcomed a total of 188 cruise ships docked in transit – which is a 34% increase on the 140 ship calls recorded just two years ago in 2022.
During peak season (generally July through August), the island can get quite busy. Tracking data for summer of 2024 shows up to seven ship calls scheduled for some days – although the average is closer to five per day.
Larger ships typically dock at Passeig Marítim, which is located on the south side of the island, while smaller vessels often dock in Eivissa, which is closer to the main city center.
The Impact of Unprecedented Cruise Tourism
An influx of cruise passengers can often be a good thing – especially as far as the local economy is concerned. As cruise tourism flourishes, so does the local economy – with the hospitality, retail, dining, and entertainment sectors all benefitting.
Cruise tourism can also help combat unemployment – with increased ship calls resulting in higher demand for things like tours, excursions, shopping, information services, and more.
In fact, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) estimates that the cruise tourism industry supports around 1.17 million jobs worldwide.
That said, the record breaking numbers also put a strain on the city’s infrastructure due to overcrowding and lead to increased concerns about ship-related pollution, already prompting other destinations throughout Spain to enact cruise ship limitations and bans.
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Mallorca has been making plans to limit the number of cruise ships that can dock in Palma, the island’s capital.
The largest of the Balearic Islands had submitted a proposal to the Balearic Islands Port Authority (APB) and Palma City Council to manage the impact of mass tourism as of May of 2024.
The proposal calls for the renewal of an agreement that was approved in 2022 that caps the daily arrival of cruise ships to three and only permits vessels carrying a maximum of 5,000 passengers.
Meanwhile, Barcelona – one of the most popular (and polluted) cruise ports in Spain – saw its partial cruise ship ban take effect in October of 2023. Per the new rules, cruise ships are forced to dock in less convenient locations to limit exhaust gasses closer to the city center.
The World Trade Center area and the Muelle Barcelona Norte, the two northern docking locations that are now off limits because of the ban, were especially popular due to the fact that guests can easily walk to one of the city’s most famous attractions, a pedestrian street called La Rambla.
