Yesterday, Malaga presented, within the framework of the International Tourism Fair (FITUR), the next edition of Seatrade Cruise Med, one of the most important meetings in the cruise segment worldwide that will bring together, for the second consecutive time, the main shipping companies, tour operators and agents in this industry.
This important professional event, which has the support of the port and destination institutions, celebrates a second edition in Malaga promoted by the success of the previous call, being the first time it has been repeated in the same place since it began to be a traveling event.
In this way, Malaga, the Costa del Sol and Andalusia will once again be protagonists of the sector during September 11 and 12, 2024 at the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos (FYCMA).
Seatrade Cruise Global Events Director, Chiara Giorgi, commented that “it is a great honor to officially announce the return of Seatrade Cruise Med to Malaga and I would like to express my gratitude to our local partners and collaborators for their support of this event.” Giorgi also added that "since its inception in Genoa, in 1996, it has served as a meeting point for industry companies in the Mediterranean, providing opportunities for dialogue and contact with professionals in the sector in one of the most crucial ports in Spain”.
For its part, the Malaga team, led by the Port Authority, Tourism Board of the Malaga City Council, Tourism board of Costa del Sol, Department of Tourism, Culture and Sports of the Regional Government of Andalucía and Fundación Malagaport are already working with the organization of the fair and collaborating partners, such as Medcruise, Puertos del Estado, Global Ports, Malaga Cruise Port, City Sightseeing and Suncruise Andalucía.
The president of the Port Authority, Carlos Rubio, highlighted that “The celebration of Seatrade Cruise Med, for the second time in Malaga, represents a unique opportunity to continue positioning ourselves as a reference port and destination within the European market. The possibility of receiving hundreds of executives from large shipping companies will allow us to publicize in depth the wide range of services of the port area and the destination, as well as its entire area of influence."
The mayor of Malaga, Francisco de la Torre, highlighted that “cruise tourism is becoming increasingly important. We like that the city opens to the sea and that citizens know first-hand how much this typology contributes to the economic activity of the capital and its reputation. The celebration of Seatrade Cruise Med is a great boost for Malaga as a cruise destination and positions it to be a reference base port for shipping companies. Attracting this type of tourism brings quality, excellence and added value to the destination.”
The president of the Malaga Provincial Council, Francisco Salado, was proud “of the extraordinary results of the cruise segment on the Costa del Sol, a sector that is contributing significantly to the development of the city and the province. In this sense, we promote familiarization trips and excursions, which will also be present during Seatrade Cruise Med, as was done in the previous edition.”
Finally, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports of the Government of Andalusia, Víctor González, valued that this event “consolidates Malaga as one of the main ports in the country and positions Andalusia as a reference destination in the Mediterranean.” In addition, he expressed his conviction that the meeting "will allow us to improve knowledge of the region's cruise offering in the international market and, especially, attract new ships and stops and attract a traveler from the premium segment that generates high spending in the Community and contributes to deseasonalizing tourist activity.”
Promotion Opportunity
The previous edition, held in 2022, obtained attendance figures above the average of other years, according to the organization of the event itself, which, on this occasion, expects to receive:
- More than 2,000 attendees.
- More than 80 countries.
- More than 180 exhibiting companies.
- More than 175 cruise industry professionals.
Seatrade Cruise Med will give great visibility to Malaga and other ports in the region as a first-class cruise destination. The celebration of this fair will also reinforce Spain's role as one of the main destinations in Europe.
In this sense, the President of State Ports, Álvaro Rodríguez Dapena, reiterated the support of this organization, highlighting “the collaboration between everyone, administrations, port community and operators to position Malaga as a reference in the cruise sector. The last 2022 edition was a success and this year we are sure it will be too.”
In addition to the Fair, the General Assembly of Medcruise will take place, the Association of Mediterranean Cruise Ports to which the Port of Malaga belongs and which is why it has been able to apply to celebrate this event. Its president, Figen Ayan confirmed that “Málaga is not only a beautiful port city in the south of Spain, but also one of the oldest in the world. Walking through its streets, you feel like you are traveling back in time. We invite you to join the cruise industry at Seatrade Cruise Med where we will network and create new business opportunities.”
To this we must add that, throughout the week, a varied program of activities will be held in the urban and port environment. It will be the third edition of Málaga Cruise Days.
