Alarm bells are ringing for tourists heading to Majorca, as the island hopes to limit the number of cruise ship arrivals to one per day. The Platform Against Megacruises has called for no more than 4,000 passengers to arrive every day via cruise ship to Palma.
The current agreement, which was implemented in May 2022, is for three ships and 8,000 passengers. Of these, only one ship could hold a capacity of over 5,000 passengers. These measures aim to protect the environment and mitigate overtourism in this popular Spanish holiday destination. However, the platform believes the current number of arrivals is a “public health issue” and that tourist numbers should be decreased “until further studies are available”.
They have also called for greater transparency and citizen participation in the renewal of the Balearic Government’s agreement with cruise operators regarding limits to cruise ships in Palma
At a press conference on Thursday, Jaume Garau of the Palma XXI association, said: “One cruise ship per day should be the maximum allowed until further studies are available. It’s a public health issue that the government should study, but isn’t.”
He added that the data have been given to the directorates for health and the natural environment but that there haven’t been any responses.
The current cruise ship limit expires at the end of 2026 and it will be reviewed this year because of operators’ scheduling.
Mr Garau insisted that the decision-making process must be transparent and take into account the views of civil society.
The Balearic Port Authority has estimated that 551 cruise ships and around 1.8 million passengers will arrive in Palma in 2025 – a rise of 47 ships and 41,085 people from last year.
2024 was itself a record-breaking year for Majorca’s tourist trade, with over 33 million holidaymakers arriving at Palma de Mallorca Airport, a 7% increase from 2023.
Last October, eight local businesses on the island, including bars and restaurants, urged the government to lift the cruise restrictions following an 18% decline in passenger numbers.
They urged, “Don’t demonise cruise passengers It is family tourism with a high spending power.”
