John Culatto
A RECORD 20 new cruise liners visited Gibraltar for the first time during 2022, topping the 19 inaugural cruise calls of 2016.
Minister for Tourism Vijay Daryanani announced the figure was a result of the government’s ‘unprecedented cruise marketing drive’ during the last year.
He promised even more cruise calls during 2023 as a result of the marketing campaign.
“The cruising industry has suffered immensely but the Government has worked at full throttle to make sure that Gibraltar has not been forgotten and the statistics are proof of this,” Daryanani said.
“I have represented Gibraltar at the most important cruise conferences in the world.
“I have spoken about what we have to offer and people have approached me to talk about us.”
The Rock’s tourism sector suffered greatly during the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing the government to help fund companies to keep them afloat.
“We have recovered quickly in 2022 after the pandemic and now we have a record amount of inaugural calls,” he said.
“It is not easy in this very competitive industry but we will work hard to deliver on all fronts,” he added.
Cruise ships that pull into port create money for shops, restaurants, transport services, bunkering and wholesale suppliers.
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