Playa Blanca is eager to welcome luxury cruise ships and their high-end tourists, who could potentially bring in over a million euros annually to the south of the island
Playa Blanca has been petitioning to receive cruise ships for a long time. Its port, recently renovated with a 40-million-euro investment and managed by Puertos Canarios, is well-equipped to accommodate these vessels due to their smaller length and draft.
What exactly is a boutique cruise? These exclusive voyages offer luxurious amenities, including butler service and gourmet gastronomy. Passengers typically spend €500 – €700 per guest, per night and embark on 15-day or longer itineraries to exclusive destinations. Another feature of boutique cruises is that the ships are newer and smaller, measuring between 100 and 250 metres in length. They often carry 150 – 450 passengers with a high crew-to-passenger ratio.
Starclass, a premier cruise company, represents some of the world’s most exclusive luxury brands, including Regent Seven Seas, Oceania Cruises, Seabourn, Ponant, and Paul Gauguin. Spain is also entering the luxury cruise market with Alma Cruceros and its ship, Ocean Victory. This 104-metre vessel, with a capacity of 186 passengers and 110 crew members, is set to embark on its inaugural voyage between Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Malaga on April 18th.
Mayor Óscar Noda claims that the arrival of luxury cruise ships could generate an estimated €1 million per season for the island’s south. This figure is based on a study carried out by Puertos Canarios examining the port’s port’s competitiveness in the luxury cruise market and its potential socioeconomic benefits for the region.
Oswaldo Betancort, President of the Lanzarote Island Council (Cabildo de Lanzarote), supports the initiative to attract cruise ships to Playa Blanca. He emphasised that this would complement, rather than compete with, the existing facilities in Arrecife. Betancort also highlighted that several proposals had been put forward at the parliamentary level to make this initiative a reality.
In a collaborative effort, the Cabildo, Lanzarote Tourism and SPEL, the Lanzarote Foreign Promotion Society, have showcased the Port of Playa Blanca at leading international cruise industry events, such as Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami Beach and Seatrade Europe in Hamburg.
