Three cruise ships docked at Haifa port on Thursday with a daily record of 11,000 passengers, about 5,200 of whom were tourists, and during the Sabbath another 3,500 tourists arrived in Haifa aboard two more tourist ships.
The expectation at Haifa port this year is about 230 cruises on which about 600 thousand passengers and tourists will sail. In total, about 30 different cruise companies will arrive at the port of Haifa this year, 10 of which have also declared Haifa as their home port where they start and end their cruises. The 2023 figures represent an increase of over 70% compared to 2022, which was also a record year.
On Saturday, the COSTA PACIFICA entered port, ending its arrivals for this spring, during which it picked up Israelis several times for a two-week journey to Barcelona and back. In addition, about 2600 tourists arrived on the ship yesterday. After her, the VIKING MARS, a luxury ship that is in the middle of a round-the-world voyage, entered the port, and arrived with 900 tourists from the straight Suez Canal for two days in Haifa. The ship will leave the port tonight (Sunday).
On Thursday, the Norwegian Jade of the Norwegian cruise company and about 2,700 tourists were in the Haifa port, the Crown Iris of the Mano shipping company which arrived at the port again this morning, and the MSC MUSICA which arrives at the Haifa port every Thursday and on board about 2,500 tourists from America and Europe who come for a visit to Israel, as well as about 1000 passengers (Israelis and foreigners) who start and end the cruise in Haifa.
Royal Caribbean with the ship Rhapsody of the Seas also started its long season in Haifa port last week.
Dr. Ron Malka, Chairman of the Haifa Port Board of Directors, says: “We are anticipating a record year for passengers and tourists in Haifa. The Port of Haifa and the owners of the port, the Adani-Gadot Group, are proud to lead the growth of the maritime tourism industry of the State of Israel. The hundreds of thousands of tourists who arrive to Israel, along with the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who enjoy the cruises from Haifa to the Mediterranean Sea, contribute greatly to the business development of the city of Haifa and the country’s economy. We anticipate an increase in the number of passengers in the coming years as well and are committed to continuing to develop the port’s infrastructure and provide the best service for passengers.”
