Agreement to reorientate the committee’s actions to promote the territory and ensure a strong return to cruise liner activity in a post Covid-19 crisis scenario

The Catalan Tourism Agency and Vila-seca Town Council join the coordinating body for the first time

The Institutional Cruise Committee, headed by the Tarragona Port Authority and consisting of representatives of the Costa Daurada’s institutions and tourism businesses, held an online meeting this Friday 15 May. The Catalan Tourism Agency and Vila-seca Town Council participated for the first time in the committee whose objective is to coordinate the Costa Daurada’s cruise liner project.

The committee members agreed to reorientate the promotional actions planned for the year towards objectives designed to promote the territory and prepare for the return of the sector in the best possible position with respect to competitor destinations and regions.

The agreement was reached following an analysis of the situation deriving from the Covid-19 pandemic. Different levels were looked at ranging from the overall effect on the tourism sector economy in general to the cruise liner subsector in particular. The committee reviewed the different historical crises suffered by the sector and the factors that made it possible to emerge from them stronger and with a view to continuing to grow. In other words, to learn from the experience of previous situations.

2020 season

The meeting focused on approaching all the possible responses to the crisis. The Port of Tarragona is working to be able to resume the cruise liner season as soon as possible, providing the hygiene measures to allow this while prioritising the health and wellbeing of all those involved. This was agreed by all the agents represented on the Cruise Committee.

All those present agreed to not consider the 2020 season as lost and to be ready to begin the logistics with agility and safety from the outset and, at the same time, to orientate their efforts towards being prepared and well positioned for the 2021 season, for which there is currently a considerable demand, thanks in part to the promotion being carried out.

The beginning of the season has now been postponed until July, depending on the evolution of the situation. In these conditions, the 2020 cruise liner season maintains a prevision of up to 31 stopovers bringing 71,290 passengers. October is the month with the highest concentration of vessels (11) and passengers (27,730). To date cancellations in April, May and, foreseeably, June account for 22 vessels and 26,000 passengers.

The Cruise Committee

The coordinating body meets once every three months. On this occasion it welcomed as new members the Catalan Tourism Agency and Vila-seca Town Council. The Catalan Tourism Agency was represented by the Director General of Tourism for the Catalan Regional Government, Octavi Bono, and the Vila-seca Town Council by the mayor, Pere Segura.

Among the other heads of administrative bodies and regional economic agents in attendance were:

Pau Ricomà, mayor of Tarragona; Laura Castel, president of the Tarragona Municipal Tourism Board; Maria José López, Councillor for Sports, Consumption, Commerce, Trade Fairs and Markets; and Laura Roigé and Daniel Martín, president and managing director, respectively, of the Tarragona Chamber of Commerce. Reus Town Council was represented by the mayor, Carles Pellicer; the Councillor for Culture, Montserrat Caelles; and Marta Villalta, manager of the Reus Promotion Agency.

Others attending were Meritxell Roigé, vice president of the Tarragona Provincial Government and president of the Costa Daurada Tourism Board; Eduard Farriol, president of the Tarragona Provincial Federation of Hospitality and Tourism Businesses; and Salvador Anton, director of the Department of Tourism Innovation at Eurecat-Centre Tecnològic de Catalunya. Attending on behalf of the Port of Tarragona were its president, Josep Maria Cruset and members of the cruise liner team, Jordi Sendra and Alba Colet, among others.

Improvements to continue growing

The Cruise Committee session also took advantage to review the infrastructures the Port is promoting. The construction of the Balears Wharf begun this month will increase the mooring area for cruise liners by 700 metres once completed. It will offer much more agile and convenient operating conditions, as well as opening up new opportunities for the 2021 cruise liner season.

The work is expected to be completed in the spring of 2021 when the facility will be able to accept more vessels simultaneously and allowing the largest cruise ships to dock.