From November and over the winter months into 2026, Palma will cease to be a departure port for many Mediterranean cruises.
The president of the Aviba travel agencies association in the Balearics, Pedro Fiol, explains that cruise operators have eliminated Palma from their itineraries and are replacing the port with the likes of Valletta (Malta) and Barcelona.
Fiol believes that this could be because of "a certain weariness" on the part of shipping agents in the face of protests against cruise tourism that have been led by the platform against 'mega' cruise ships and the environmentalists GOB.
He says that cruises are the most popular holiday packages for people living in the Balearic Islands, especially during the low season. "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."
A typical route from Palma has included the south of France and Italy. "Now they're switching to Malta or Tunisia. Residents won't have cruises specifically from Palma." He does, however, distinguish between Spanish speakers and German speakers, as TUI, who use German as the main language on board, will continue with their cruise departures from Palma. Costa Cruises and MSC will stop embarking passengers in Palma from November 5 and are expected to resume operations in April 2026.
"People will now have to fly if they want to go on a cruise." And that will, for example, include flying to Barcelona, which will entail additional cost.
As Barcelona will continue to be a departure port, Fiol's argument about the impact of protests is perhaps questionable. Anti-cruise sentiment in Barcelona has been as great as in Palma, if not more.
8 comments
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Charles Dalrymple-ChumleySorry, but the cruise ships bring next to no income to the island. If they are scared away - there is nothing to replace - we really lose nothing, but gain a lot in terms of reduced congestion on our streets and reduced emissions while the ships are sitting in our port.
“ Protests blamed for leaving Mallorca residents without cruise departures in winter.” I smell total bollox. I bet the number of Mallorquins taking a cruise from Palma is close to zero. Those who do want to have a Noravirus trip around the Med tend to fly in, before boarding the SS Legionaire (Panama Registered.)
ChrisYou misinterpret my comment. No one should be allowed to destroy Mallorca's tourism reputation and walk away scot-free. If Mallorca wants to scale back its tourism business/income it has to have a replacement before it does so. I see no replacement on the horizon but the protestors are scaring off visitors and cruise ships anyway. Not good economic sense.
tranq tranquerbrilliantly put!
Charles Dalrymple-ChumleyGet real. If you had your way Mallorca would look like Las Vegas in 20 years time.
Charles Dalrymple-ChumleyHow dare the Mallorcan people try and have a say on what happens on their island! They should just leave it to the hoteliers and corporations to decide.
This is a non story. Those cruise operators don't plan their schedules on which island is protesting least. They plan, well in advance, on where they think the best usable itinerary will get them the most passengers. As for damaging the brand, here we go again - oh if you do that no one will come etc etc. Fifty years I have been watching and hearing the bleating and whimpering about how Mallorcan tourism, the Mallorcan brand name, will greatly suffer through this or that action. The name Mallorca is embedded into European DNA, along with the words holiday island. It has achieved a status like Hoover or Coca Cola in that its name represents in one word an entire industry. Nowadays, as many have finally come to realise, the worm has turned. There are too many tourists, along with too many people, crowding on to this small island that was , for many of those fifty years close to heaven on earth.
The Council of Palma needs to identify the ring-leaders of the on-going anti-tourist protests and sue them for defamation of the Mallorca brand and damages for the loss of income. If I stand outside C&A and do all I can to discourage shoppers from entering, the management will very quickly take action against me. So it is with Mallorca. These protestors are deeply damaging the Mallorca brand which has taken decades to build as a vacation destination. They must be held to account for their actions.