Portuguese port hosts 29% more calls and 64% more passengers in the first six months of 2017
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Portugal’s Port of Leixões recorded a 29% increase in cruise ship calls and a 64% rise in passenger numbers in the first six months of 2017, compared to the same period in 2016.
Between January and June 2017, the port welcomed 45 cruise ships – including six inaugural visitors – and 40,917 cruise tourists from around the world. Many came from the UK, Germany and the US, while Japanese nationals were the fourth-largest group of cruise passengers for the first time.
Forecasts show that 2017 will be the busiest cruise season to date for Leixões, which will handle another 60 cruise calls and at least 59,000 more passengers before the end of the year. This beats the port’s record cruise year in 2015.