… but passenger numbers down
JM reports that the ports of Madeira (including Porto Santo) received, in April this year, 62 stopovers by cruise ships, recording one of the best statistics and returning to values before the pandemic, but numbers show they lost more than 33,000 passengers in transit.
“The Ports of Madeira totalled 62 stopovers by cruise ships last April, which is the first time, in statistics for the months of April”, reads the information sent by the Port Authority APRAM to press agency Lusa yesterday.
In comparative terms with the same month of 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, this total corresponds to nine more stopovers in Porto do Funchal (44 in 2019) and seven more in Porto Santo (two in 2019)”.
APRAM highlights that, “in the last 10 years, only in November 2012, a completely exceptional year”, 64 stopovers were exceeded, one of them in Porto Santo.
Passenger numbers down
Although the number of stopovers of ships sees an increase, the same does not happen with passengers in transit in Madeira, APRAM admits. “Thus, last April there was a movement of 44,810 passengers, 33,639 less than in the same period in 2019”, they say. As for the number of crew that passed through the ports of the region these numbered 28,784, down 626 on the same month three years ago”.
Four cruise ships debut
In April, four cruise ships made their debut in ports in the region, namely the Celebrity Edge and Scenic Eclipse (Funchal) and the Hebridean Sky and Seabourn Ovation (Porto Santo).
“Porto Santo has aroused the interest of the so-called theme and luxury ships that seek paradisiacal destinations, above all, from an environmental perspective”, highlights APRAM. In the month under analysis, which the administration classifies as “an excellent April”, this island added nine stops, is mentioned in the same note.
APRAM highlights that “2020 and 2021 were years of resilience, 2022 is a year to rebuild and position cruises for a 2023 that is expected to be very strong, with passenger movements higher than 2019, before the pandemic”.
COVID-19 in Madeira: updates can be found in an earlier post
Cruise ships are not back to running at 90% plus occupancy added to which a lot of the ships have been smaller.
We are now coming into the summer months with few visiting ships. June sees 2, July sees 3, Aug sees7 and Sept sees 5.
October sees nu bears rising rapidly.
…….numbers riding rapidly…..
There may be fewer German flights doing a changeover with cruise ships in F7nchal
Almostly certainly.
Given that they have an even bigger mess to sort out than charter companies when planes can’t land to swap passengers, who can blame them given the amount of recent airport problems.
My partner & I lecture on Cruise ships, and Holiday in Funchal, Madeira. We love the island .
Cruise ship passengers are returning, but there is a reluctance due to Covid, Russia and the Danger in the Baltic, the Various other factors Burning diesel, Pollution in the Ocean . It will recover bigger and Better. Madeira can help! Tourism Needs to expand a 3m x 4m Tourism info office buried in the town centre is a complete waste. The lack of interest in the Port is obvious by its absence, and Time share tours grabbing you ever 10 minutes is rather upsetting even for us that come up to 4 times a year on ships and 5 weeks holiday, cruise passengers comment on it all the time, & that stops some coming back