Cruise ship calls to Gibraltar soar by nearly 75%: Passengers have already splurged £4m this year

GIBRALTAR has been welcoming a non-stop wave of cruise ships since the seasons started in earnest earlier this month.

Only those who’ve not left their house in weeks would fail to notice the heaving number of bodies in Main Street, or the increased footfall in the shops and restaurants.

And the numbers do not lie: approximately 62 cruise ships have stopped in Gibraltar so far this year, according to government figures.

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It compares to 36 for the same period in 2024 – it equates to a hefty 72% increase in ship calls year-on-year – a veritable boom for the economy. 

A total of 245 cruise ships are currently booked to stop in Gibraltar for the year of 2025, which is already a 33% boost on last year.

What is less well known is the number of passengers who have disembarked so far this year.

Between January and March, 26,000 passengers (plus 13,000 crew) arrived – however the figures for April are not yet out.

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But according to cruise ship timetables, the 30 different ships scheduled for this month alone will deliver up to 50,000 passengers to Gibraltar – 20% more than the entire population at just under 40,000 residents.

For comparison, the first four months of 2024 combined saw 55,380 cruise ship passengers in total set foot on the Rock, according to government statistics.

The Sun Princess, which called on April 7 (and will call again on April 28), can carry 4,310 passengers, while the Mein Schiff Relax, which stopped in on its maiden voyage on April 12, has space for 3,984.

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So how are all these people impacting the economy?

While spending figures are out for neither this year or the last, numbers for 2023 show that each passenger spent an average of £53 – as opposed to just £25 for visitors crossing the land border.

A quick calculation shows that, based on 2023’s figure, cruise ship passengers have so far injected over £4 million into Gibraltar’s economy this year.

It is expected they will exceed 2019’s pre-pandemic peak, when they splash £13.4 million.

The numbers have been greeted with elation by Gibraltar’s business community.

“I cannot overstate the significance of cruise tourism to Gibraltar’s economy, particularly the many shops, restaurants and activities that heavily rely on tourism,” Eran Shay of the Gibraltar Federation of Small Businesses told the Olive Press.

“We are aware that some destinations are restricting the number of cruise liners that can stop at their ports, but we welcome cruise liners and cruise passengers with open arms.”

Shay, who is the GFSB board director responsible for tourism also pointed out the importance of cruise liners in the event of Non-Negotiated Outcome in treaty talks.

“Cruise liners are less likely to be impacted, as opposed to the flow of visitors coming via the frontier.

“So it is important to maintain a strong relationship with the cruise liners in preparation for any eventualities. 

But Shay had a warning for the government: “Continued investment in port infrastructure and collaborative marketing strategies will be essential to sustain and enhance this sector. 

“In this way, we can ensure that Gibraltar remains a top destination for cruise liners, further bolstering our economy and providing enduring support for our businesses.”