A major holiday destination in the Mediterranean will cease to be a departure port for cruise ships from November as operators have become “weary” with ongoing tourist protests. It’s reported Palma, the capital of the popular Spanish island of Mallorca, will no longer be an embarkation point for the large holiday vessels later this year and into early 2026.
According to Majorca Daily Bulletin, the president of the Aviba travel agencies association in the Balearics, Pedro Fiol, said cruise operators have removed Palma from their itineraries and replaced the port with the likes of Valletta in Malta and Barcelona and the Spanish mainland.
Mr Fiol said he believed the move wasdown to a “a certain weariness” over ongoing protests on Mallorca against what has been seen as “over-tourism” on the island and environmental concerns. The lack of cruise liners leaving the Spanish island over winter will be a blow for locals who often book the low-season tours for popular trips to Italy and France.
He said: “Now they’re (cruise operators) switching to Malta or Tunisia. Residents won’t have cruises specifically from Palma.”
Mr Fiol added that the trips on the large vessels were usually popular with people living on Mallorca and other Balearic Islands, especially during winter months.
He added: “It’s the star product and offers a very competitive all-inclusive price in winter, starting at €600 per person. It’s the type of holiday chosen by those who work in the tourism sector and who travel in the winter.”
Officials in Palma had proposed drastic measures to curb the number of ships docking on the island.
It’s reported the archipelago’s left-wing MES per Palma party will put forward plans to limit the number of tourist arrivals in Palma’s ports to two a day with a maximum 6,000 onboard, roughly half of its current intake.
The party, generally considered progressive and environmental in its policies, said the measures would reinstate a balance between the interests of holidaymakers and locals.