French cruise port recorded 10.4% growth in passenger numbers last year, says MedCruise
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Marseille is the fifth-largest cruise port in the Mediterranean in terms of passenger numbers, according to the latest figures from the MedCruise association.
Last year, the French port welcomed 1,311,284 cruise passengers, a rise of 10.4% from 2013. This marked the biggest increase among the region’s top ten ports for the second year running and a 87.3% growth from the 700,000 recorded in 2010.
Marseille reached fifth rank a year ahead of the target set by the Marseille Provence Cruise Club, the development and promotional body formed in 1996 by the port authority, the chamber of commerce and city authorities.
Growth has been supported by developments such as the Marseille Provence Cruise Terminal, which opened in April 2014 and can handle seven ships at a time, as well as the 2013 launch of a facility reserved for luxury vessels less than 200m long.
In 2015, Marseille expects to handle more than 1.5 million cruise passengers, a third of which will come from homeport calls. Numbers will be boosted by the arrival of two Royal Caribbean International vessels – Anthem of the Seas in April and Allure of the Seas in May.