Fresh calls for limits on cruise ships in Mallorca

According to forecasts from the Balearic Port Authority (APB), 541 cruise ships are expected to arrive in 2025, which means that more than 1.8 million passengers will come ashore, an increase of 47 cruise ships and 41,000 more tourists compared to last year. This figure is close to the all-time record of 592 cruise ships registered in 2019.

This massive increase, for MÉS per Palma, is being facilitated by the lack of regulation by the PP government, which “is putting the sustainability of Palma at risk, is aggravating overcrowding and worsening the health and quality of life of residents”. They accused the PP of giving “free rein” to cruise ships and of “making excuses” on the Sustainability Pact Board “for doing nothing”.

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“We cannot continue to accept gridlock streets, our city is polluted and our natural resources are put at risk while the only benefit goes to the big shipping companies,” warned Contreras. MÉS per Palma has also referred to the negative impact on local businesses, emphasising that, according to Ibestat, the average spend of a cruise passenger is “very low”, at around 35 euros, as well as the collapse and saturation of the city centre and its consequent impact on the quality of life of residents.

“We cannot allow Palma to be an express stop for cruise passengers while residents suffer the consequences of this overcrowding,” Contreras said. In 2025 the agreement between the Balearic government and shipping companies that limited the arrival of cruise ships to a maximum of three a day, with only one mega-cruise, ends. “We have gone from having an insufficient limit to having none at all,” they added.

As a result, MÉS per Palma has presented a proposal for the City Council plenary to demand effective regulation and a drastic reduction in arrivals. The ecosocialists are also calling for a ban on mega-cruise ships, which are the most polluting.