He IbizaPreservation Sustainability Observatory has released the latest data collected in its annual Sustainability Report – currently being prepared and funded by the Consell de Ibiza – on the arrival of cruise ships and cruise passengers to the island of Ibiza in 2023, revealing an unprecedented increase in this activity.
According to data extracted from IBESTAT, the Port Authority and Ports de les Illes Balears, in 2023 a total of 548,969 cruise passengers, which represents a 86% increase compared to the More than 295,368 passengers registered in 2022This remarkable growth in the influx of cruise tourists has surpassed by 39% the previous record set in 2019, when nearly 400,000 cruise passengers visited the island, making 2023 the year with the highest number of cruise visitors in Ibiza’s history. Considering that Ibiza recorded an annual resident population of 159,180 inhabitants in 2023, it is estimated that the total number of cruise passengers visiting the island exceeded the resident population by 3.45 times.
The Observatory has also carried out an analysis of the number of cruise ships in transit, i.e. those whose port of arrival and departure is not Ibiza. In 2023, a total of 188 cruise ships in transit arrived on the island, representing an increase of 34% compared to the 140 cruise ships recorded in 2022. This number even exceeds that recorded in 2017, when 183 cruise ships in transit docked on the island, marking a new historical high.
An unprecedented increase
Despite The number of cruise ships that arrived in Ibiza in 2017 and 2023 is similar (183 in 2017 and 188 in 2023), The number of cruise passengers increased significantly between these two years. In 2017, more than 338,849 people disembarked, a figure that has increased by 62% in 2023. “This increase could be related to the greater size and capacity of the boats that have moored on the island during the last year,” he explains. Itziar Arratibel, technical coordinator of OBSE.
Compared to the rest of the islands of the Balearic archipelago, Ibiza has shown a notable growth in the proportion of cruise passengers it receives. According to the data analysed by the Observatory, in 2023, Ibiza received 31.8% of the more than 1.7 million cruise passengers who arrived in the Balearic IslandsThis percentage represents a significant increase compared to 2019, when the island welcomed 23.06% of cruise passengers in the Balearic Islands. On the other hand, Menorca has experienced an opposite trend, with a decrease in the number of cruise passengers it receives.
This upward trend is also reflected in the number of cruise ships arriving in Ibiza. In 2023, the island received the 31.8% of the total number of cruise ships that arrived in the Balearic Islands, exceeding the 27.5% recorded in 2019.
The high environmental cost of cruise ships
Elisa Langleya biologist at the Observatory, has expressed her deep concern about the negative impact that cruise tourism can have on the coast and the Mediterranean Sea. “This activity can generate a irreversible impact on our marine and coastal ecosystems”Langley notes. “These ships They continuously discharge bilge watergrey water, black water and ballast, which in many cases contain invasive species. Added to this are the solid waste, environmental and visual pollution, and the damage they cause, the long-term consequences of which barely offset the meager economic benefits they bring to the local community,” he added.
Langley also highlights how the substantial increase in cruise volume, services and passenger numbers contribute to the Saturation of natural and landscape spaces “During the 12 hours that these giants travel along our coast, they saturate the resources on which we deeply depend. This phenomenon is taking us further and further away from sustainable tourism and contributes to increasing the negative impact on our ecosystems,” he concludes.
