The port of Leixões received, in the first half of 2023, the largest number of cruise ships ever, according to a note from the Administration of the Ports of Douro, Leixões and Viana do Castelo (APDL) consulted today by Lusa.
“In the first six months of the year, Leixões received 56 cruise ships and 68,203 passengers, translating into the best 1st semester ever with regard to cruise activity. In this period, there were also seven inaugural stopovers out of a total of 14 expected by the end of the year “, can be read in a note from APDL consulted today by Lusa.
The port administration led by João Neves also states that the figures for the first half of 2023 correspond to “an 88% growth in the number of passengers and 12% in the number of ships compared to the same period in 2022”.
“To this end, the activity recorded during the month of May contributed greatly, becoming the best month ever. This month alone, 23 ships and 27,373 passengers passed through the cruise terminals of the Port of Leixões”, points out APDL.
Compared to the first half of 2018, “the best year ever in terms of passenger numbers, growth was 21%, rising to 42% when compared to 2019 (last pre-pandemic year) and, in addition, an 8% growth in the number of ships both compared to 2018 and 2019”.
According to APDL, the majority of passengers in the first half of this year were from the United Kingdom (41%), followed by those from Germany (26%) and the United States (20%).
As for the size of the ships, “there has been a sustained growth compared to the pre-pandemic years”, according to APDL.
“The average length of ships stood at 218.5 meters, which means a growth of 3.1% compared to 2022. Compared to 2018 and 2019, the growth was 6.6% and 10.3%, respectively”, points out the port administration.
APDL points out that “if the forecasts are maintained, the Port of Leixões will once again reach a record value at the end of 2023, both in the number of calls to the port and in the number of passengers”.
At the moment, 127 calls are confirmed until the end of the year and a number of passengers around 150 thousand, according to APDL.