The Spanish ports managed by Puertos del Estado received 11.8 million cruise passengers between January and October 2025, a figure that represents an increase of 12.5% compared to the same period of the previous year. The number of ships that called at Spanish port facilities during this period amounted to 4,366, which means 706 additional calls and a growth of 19.3% in year-on-year terms.
Total passenger traffic, which includes both regular line and cruise segments, reached 36.8 million users in the analyzed period, 4.8% more than in 2024. Of this total figure, 25 million corresponded to regular line services, with an increase of 1.5%, while the remaining 11.8 million are attributed to cruise traffic.
The tenth month of the year recorded total traffic of 3.5 million passengers in the entire Spanish port system. The breakdown by type shows that 1.9 million users traveled on regular lines in transport mode, representing a year-on-year increase of 0.9%, while 1.6 million were cruise passengers, with a growth of 17.7% compared to October 2024.
Regarding the number of ships, 739 cruise ships called at Spanish ports during October, a figure that represents an increase of 29% compared to the same month of the previous year. This growth percentage in calls far exceeds that recorded in the accumulated year, indicating an intensification of cruise traffic in the final stretch of the season.
Distribution by ports in the accumulated
The analysis by port facilities places Barcelona as the main cruise port in Spain, with 3.5 million passengers received between January and October, 10% more than in the same period of 2024. The Catalan terminal accounts for approximately 30% of the total cruise traffic of the Spanish port system.
The Port Authority of Balearic Islands occupies the second position, with 2.4 million cruise passengers and a year-on-year growth of 6.7%. The Balearic archipelago, which includes the terminals of Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, Mahón, and La Savina, maintains its position as a consolidated destination in the western Mediterranean, although its growth rate is below the average of the system.
The Canary ports show the highest growth rates of the period. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria received 1.3 million cruise passengers, with an increase of 17%, while Santa Cruz de Tenerife exceeded one million cruise passengers and recorded the highest percentage growth among large ports, with 33% more than in the accumulated 2024.
During the month of October, the Port of Barcelona maintained its leadership with 487,698 cruise passengers, a figure 20.5% higher than that of the same month of the previous year. The Balearic terminal ranked second with 336,903 cruise passengers, representing a growth of 19%.
The analysis of the number of calls in October shows Barcelona with 125 ships docked, followed by Balearic Islands with 112 cruise ships. Santa Cruz de Tenerife received 101 ships, Las Palmas recorded 91 calls, and Valencia closed the quintet of ports with the highest activity with 52 cruise ships.
Calls of ships in the accumulated
The distribution of the number of cruise ships by port during the first ten months of the year reflects a differentiated pattern compared to passenger traffic. Barcelona recorded 773 calls, with a growth of 14.3% year-on-year, while Balearic Islands received 737 ships, 6.5% more than in 2024.
The Canary ports show notable increases in the number of calls. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria counted 596 cruise ships, with a growth of 40.6%, and Santa Cruz de Tenerife recorded 514 calls, 43.6% more than in the same period of the previous year. These percentages indicate a significant increase in the attractiveness of the Canary Islands for cruise companies, which have increased the frequency of their itineraries with calls in the archipelago.
The difference between the growth of the number of passengers and that of calls in certain ports suggests variations in the average size of the ships operating at each facility. In the case of Barcelona, the 10% increase in passengers compared to the 14.3% increase in calls indicates a reduction in the ratio of passengers per ship, while in the Canary ports, the relationship is reversed, with lower passenger growth than the increase in calls in percentage terms.