Some 66,000 cruise passengers visited Menorca in 2006

Maó to enjoy a 55% increase in cruise ship visits this year

"Hanseatic". At present in the Antarctic but to visit Menorca in the springtime

2007 could become the port´s third-best year in terms of cruise ship calls as Ports de Balears has, to date, received 126 reservations, amongst which are numerous upscale cruise vessels

Frederik Naumann.Sant Lluís/Flensburg

The year 2006 has been successful for the Port of Maó in terms of cruise ship calls and 2007 appears to bring another significant growth in terms of calls and passenger volumes. According to preliminary statistics released by Ports de Balears, the Balearic port operator, Maó recorded 81 cruise ship calls last year, an increase of 3% on 2005. 66,172 cruise ship passengers visited Maó, an increase of 10% compared to the previous year. 2007 appears set to become an even more successful year; up to now, Ports de Balears anticipated 126 calls, 55.5% up on 2006. A higher number of calls has been seen only twice in the history of Maó Port: in 2001 the best result ever was reached with 146 calls whilst 145 calls were recorded in 1999. In all the other years Maó saw less than 120 ships calling.

Numerous operators have inaugurated Maó into their 2007 schedules; among them are very distinguished names such as Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten, Peter Deilmann Reederei or Seabourn Cruise Line. Particularly frequent callers will be the "Pacific Princess", "Island Star›, "Island Escape", "Thomson Celebration" and "Thomson Destiny". As per current reservations, Maó will see the start of its cruise season on 23rd March with a call of the vessel "Adriana" and the season close on 23rd November when "Insignia" pays a visit. Thus, the cruise season is going to last for exactly eight months, longer than in previous years. Particularly, cruise ship calls in spring and autumn are highly welcome to strengthen Menorca´s tourism industry during the weaker months.

Several of the world´s best cruise operators have become very faithful to Menorca, returning to the Port of Maó year after year. An example is the German operator Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten which has once again scheduled two calls in Spring 2007. Initially, the exhibition cruise vessel "Hanseatic" is scheduled to call on 24th April. The five-star vessel, boasting luxurious accommodation for up to 188 passengers, will be en-route on an eleven-day cruise from Madeira via the Azores Archipelago, Gibraltar, Marbella and the Balearic Islands to Barcelona. Interestingly, Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten has opted to integrate three Balearic Islands into its schedule. Initially, "Hanseatic" is going to drop anchor off Formentera before she continues to Ibiza and subsequently to Menorca. In its catalogue, Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten promotes Menorca as "an island offering very different impressions; uniting English style, Mediterranean flair, prehistoric sites and clean beaches with clear water to a multifarious image". Passengers of "Hanseatic" are invited to join the "Menorca Island Impressions" shore excursion. Hapag-Lloyd promises its passengers that this round trip will make them "experience Menorca with all senses". Hapag-Lloyd´s flagship, the "Europa" accommodating a maximum of 408 passengers, is scheduled to call at Menorca on 1st June en-route from Barcelona to Ibiza. She is rated as the world´s best cruise ship, holding the only Five-Stars-Plus certification awarded by the Berlitz Cruise Guide. Passengers of "Europa" may choose between two shore excursions during their eight-hour stay on Menorca. They may either join a bus trip round the island or join a hiking trip through the Albufera National Park - or, if they prefer to do something on their own, spend a relaxing day at the beach. Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten caters mainly for a wealthy German clientele although some other nationalities are regularly found among the passengers as well. Cruise fares reflect the high standard: in the cheapest cabin category, "Europa´s" 13-day cruise from Monte Carlo to Lisbon (via nine stopover ports, including Menorca) is available for 6,490 euros. The best cabin, the ŒPenthouse Deluxe Suite´, amounts to 12,560 euros.

Menorca will see numerous calls of upscale cruise ships belonging to the same league as "Europa" and "Hanseatic" during 2007. This cruise ship segment is especially potential-bearing for the island´s economy: although passenger capacities on luxury cruise ships tend to be limited, passengers are usually wealthy and willing to spend money ashore. Cruise passengers are, despite the fact that they mainly eat and drink onboard their ship, quite attractive tourists in economic terms. Cruise industry experts claim that each cruise passenger spends an average of 30 to 90 euros in a stopover port, mainly for shore excursions and souvenir purchases. Several ports have conducted detailed examinations of their cruise passengers´ spending. The Baltic Sea Institute for Marketing, Transportation and Tourism of the University of Rostock (Germany) recently found that cruise ship passengers and crew spent approximately six million euros in the Port of Rostock during 2005 - the port had seen 97 calls with 124,500 passengers in that year. Based on these figures, each passenger visiting the German port in 2005 spent an average of about 50 euros. Cruise calls may turn into an increasingly important income factor even for Maó´s shops. As previously reported by this newpaper, Menorca will see more than 20 cruise ship calls on Sundays this year and the Councillor for Tourism, María Sintes, is therefore trying to persuade traders to join a duty roster which would ensure that about one-third of the shops in Maó are open on Sundays. Cruise passengers could be provided with a detailed map on leaving the ship, making it easy for them to find their way through town and to the shops which are on duty. The Maó Town Council is additionally studying the possibility of offering other attractions, including, for example, opening museums or holding craft markets on Sundays. Such attractions could help to further increase the number of cruise ship calls in the years to come.