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ARCHIVED - Alicante in talks with major shipping companies to position the province as a benchmark for cruise tourism
Ferry firms Carnival and Silversea are interested in Alicante as a base port for their cruise ships
Back in April, Alicante City & Beach Tourist Board attended the Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami, the most important cruise fair in the world, to try to attract shipping companies to Alicante as a base port.
During "the world's largest showcase for the cruse sector", representatives from the port, council and tourism sector met with leading shipping companies to promote the city's port, and their efforts came to fruition at the weekend when delegations from ferry firms Carnival and Monegasqu Silversea visited Alicante to find out more about what the coastal city has to offer.
The visit was organised in collaboration with the Provincial Tourist Board and Alicante Costa Blanca Cruise Tourism Association and focused on "positioning the province as a reference for cruise destination tourism".
"Cruise tourism has a knock-on effect on the local and provincial economy, improves the external image of the city and attracts future investment," said the head of Alicante Provincial Council, Carlos Mazón, adding: "We want to encourage more shipping companies to establish their home port for cruises in the city of Alicante, as is the case with MSC Cruises."
Since last July, Alicante Port has been the base for the Italian-Swiss shipping company MSC Cruises, an agreement which is expected to bring more than 40,000 cruise passengers to the city this year.
And it's hoped the port authority can build on this and become a base port for the American firm Carnival and Monaco-based Monegasqu Silversea. In addition to touring the port and Alicante city itself over the weekend, the cruise company representatives visited Santa Bárbara Castle, a nougat factory in Jijona, the Pottery Route in Agost, Villajoyosa Chocolate Museum and other local attractions in Alfaz del Pi, Altea and Guadalest.
"The aim is to convince them not only to have their ships pass through the port of Alicante, but also to use it as a starting point," explained Mazón.
"We have to support our commercial and tourist SMEs, as well as the gastronomy sector and the strategy of attracting cruise passengers and the development of the city as a base port is fundamental for our future," he added.
According to the city council, cruise passengers each spend an average of 70 euros per day during a brief stopover, and this can triple if the cruise ships select a port as a starting point because tourists stay overnight or longer before boarding. Between September and December this year, 25 ships are expected to arrive in the port of Alicante.
Image: Alicante Association for Cruise Tourism
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