Ports
Marseille marks 30 years as a cruise port, and says quality now matters more than volume
Marseille Provence Croisière, the local cruise association, held its 30th anniversary on board MSC Meraviglia on 12 October. The port handled about 11,600 cruise passengers in 1993 and more than 2.63 million ocean cruise passengers on 660 calls in 2025. Its Horizon 2030 plan puts better port calls, more turnaround cruises, visitor-flow management and local benefits ahead of simply growing passenger numbers.
“Marseille had everything it needed to become a major cruise destination.”Jacques Truau, founding president, Club de la Croisière
Source: MedCruise ↗ · 14 Oct
Ports
Barcelona to close two cruise terminals by the end of the year
The Port of Barcelona will close Terminal C on the Adossat quay on 30 October and the World Trade Center terminal on 31 December. This follows an agreement with the city council to cut the number of cruise terminals from seven to five. A city committee has also given provisional approval to raise the tourist-tax surcharge for cruise passengers who stay under 12 hours, from €5 to €12 in 2027 and in stages to €24 by 2030.
Source: Metrópoli Abierta (El Español) ↗ · 22 Sep
Ports
Madeira heads for its busiest cruise year yet
Madeira's port authority, APRAM, expects to finish 2026 with a record 349 cruise calls and about 820,000 passengers. That would be the first time the islands have passed 800,000 in a year, up from 746,000 passengers and 331 calls in 2025. October alone has 33 calls booked, bringing more than 75,000 passengers, though the authority says the figures are provisional.
“Everything points to one of the strongest Octobers of recent years.”Paula Cabaço, chairwoman, APRAM (Madeira Ports)
Source: MedCruise ↗ · 8 Oct
Ports
Lisbon named Europe's leading cruise destination for a sixth time
Lisbon won Europe's Leading Cruise Destination at the World Travel Awards Europe, held in Montenegro on 17 October. It is the city's sixth win in the category, after 2009, 2014, 2016, 2020 and 2022. A few days earlier Lisbon was also named Europe's Best Cruise Destination at the 2026 World Cruise Awards.
Source: MedCruise ↗ · 21 Oct
Ports
Denmark proposes a 200-kroner tax per cruise passenger from 2028
The Danish government plans a tax of 200 DKK (about €25) per cruise passenger from 2028, expected to raise about 300 million DKK a year towards the costs of pollution, noise and congestion. Business groups and the ports association Danske Havne have asked for the level to be looked at again, saying ships might skip Danish ports or call only at the largest cities. Denmark had 1.1 million cruise passengers in 2025, mostly through Copenhagen, Aarhus, Skagen and Rønne.
Source: The Copenhagen Post ↗ · 9 Oct
Ports
New Zealand cuts its border levy for arriving cruise passengers
From 1 July 2027, New Zealand will cut the border processing levy for arriving cruise passengers from NZ$27.14 to NZ$7.20, while the charge for departing passengers rises from NZ$0.03 to NZ$0.71. The New Zealand Cruise Association called it a positive step. It added that because itineraries are planned years ahead, any effect on port calls may take time to show.
Source: CruiseMapper ↗ · 20 Oct