Port of Malaga saw fewer cruise ship passengers during the first half of 2026

Figures from the port authority show that cruise ships totalled 199,529 passengers between January and June, 3.2 per cent less than in the first half of the previous year, which included activity during the first peak season for this segment – the months of April and May.

Despite this setback, the port authority is confident that it will exceed the 2025 figure during the second half of the year, with the start of the autumn peak season, which sees its busiest months in October and November.

At national level, Spanish ports have also failed to post a positive result in the first six months of the year. Figures from Puertos del Estado (state ports) show that passengers exceeded 17.55 million up to June, representing a fall of 1.1 per cent compared with the same period in 2025.

In contrast, ports in Andalucía, including Bahía de Cádiz and Motril, have recorded strong activity, with double-digit increases. In the case of Cadiz, which tops the passenger rankings in Andalucía, 255,170 cruise passengers passed through in the first half of the year, representing growth of 21.4 per cent. Some way behind in terms of passenger numbers is Motril, which reached a record figure of 40,630 tourists, representing a rise of 91.6 per cent.

The port of Malaga is building on unprecedented figures following 2025, which proved to be its best in the last fifteen years, with 570,481 passengers and 331 port calls, representing increases of 21.3 per cent and 19 per cent respectively, confirming its position as one of the leading cruise destinations in the Mediterranean.

Added to this is the fact that the port is focusing on the luxury sector during the spring peak season, when 172,000 passengers were expected to arrive on board 117 ships between 15 March and 29 June. In fact, the season kicked off with an exclusive call by the ‘Four Seasons Yacht’, which was on its maiden voyage and chose Malaga to host its christening ceremony. The vessel, which has a maximum capacity of 190 passengers, remained moored at the Palmeral terminal – just five minutes from the city centre – for five days.

During this first peak season, a further 66 ships belonging to luxury and premium cruise liners called at the port of Malaga between March and June, accounting for more than 50 per cent of the total number of scheduled port calls for this period, “continuing the upward trend in this type of tourism”, the port authority noted.

In the first half of this year, the port held a number of unique events that helped to enhance its standing as a premium and luxury cruise destination. In addition to the maiden voyage of the aforementioned ‘Four Seasons Yacht’, two other ships visited for the first time, notably the debut of Royal Caribbean’s ‘Legend of the Seas’, a giant of the seas, which was another major milestone on 29 June.

Malaga became the first European port of call for this ship, which had sailed from the Caribbean on its maiden voyage to begin its summer season in the Mediterranean. This mega-cruise ship, the third in Royal Caribbean’s Icon class and one of the largest and most advanced cruise ships in the world, is 364 metres long – longer than three football pitches laid end to end – and can carry up to 7,600 passengers. The ship has 18 passenger decks and a total of twenty decks.

In its half-yearly report, the port of Malaga highlights its capacity to handle large vessels and notes that the average size of ships – globally, not just cruise ships – calling at the port during this period reached 45,248 GT, placing it among the leading ports in the Spanish port system. “This indicator confirms the port’s capacity to handle large vessels and reinforces its appeal as a strategic port of call for maritime traffic in the Mediterranean,” the report states.

Another highlight of the half-year was the 21 home port calls – that is, cruises that begin and/or end their itineraries in the city. Notable contributors to this figure include MSC Cruises, as well as Marella Cruises, Sea Cloud and Star Clippers, among others.

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