Málaga became today the first port in Spain’s mainland to host a cruise ship upon restart of operations after 15 months stop. TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 2 restarted cruise operations in our destination guaranteeing safety in operations and shorex.
Mein Schiff 2 arrived today at 6:15h from the Canary Islands, with 1,275 passengers, and will be staying until 19h, when she will depart for Palma de Mallorca to start Spanish national itineraries. She will be visiting Málaga again on June 22nd and July 6th.
Representatives from the Port and the destination have met Mr. Tom Roth, Captain from Mein Schiff 2, and handed a commemorating plaque of this very special event.
Mr. Carlos Rubio, President of the Port Authority of Málaga, highlighted “today is a very important day for Málaga and proves how governmental bodies have worked together, and will keep working together, for Málaga, a cruise friendly destination”.
Mr. Francisco De la Torre, Málaga City Mayor, stated “Cruise tourism will help reactivate tourism in our destination, and we are an essential cruise destination for cruise lines”.
Mr. Alfredo Serrano, Director CLIA Spain, said “during all these months, the cruise industry has taken the initiative in the development and implementation of very demanding health protocols to protect our passengers, crew and citizens of the destinations we visit. And today, we can confirm that they are the most demanding in international transport and tourism”.
Mr. Tom Roth, Captain Mein Schiff 2, highlighted that "this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship".
Mrs, Susana Gutierrez, General Manager of Malaga Cruise Port said: ¨We are delighted to share with all the cruise community the news about the restart of operations in Málaga with the Mein Schiff 2 calling on the 15th June with 1st cruise call at Spain Mainland.
It has been indeed a historical moment for us and for the cruise industry in Spain as well as a clear evidence about the gradual recovery of the Tourism and Economy in our country after the pandemics. We expect this to be the first of many other successful international calls to come this year¨.
“BUBBLE” EXPERIENCE
TUI Cruises developed a "bubble" cruise experience, allowing only organized excursions, which guarantees that the anti-COVID-19 safety measures are respected, thus benefiting both the passenger and the crew, as well as the population of the destinations visited.
In Málaga, cruise passengers visited the city and other towns nearby in small groups, having chosen emblematic places of the historical city center of Málaga, as well as Ronda, Mijas or Marbella, among others, supporting the recovery of the economy.
Also in port today, Mein Schiff 4 arrived at 15h with no passengers, only for technical reasons.
