The Port of Lisbon has reported unprecedented cruise activity in 2023, with over 700,000 passengers, marking a 54% increase compared to the previous year. This milestone surpassed the

previous record set in 2018, with 758,328 passengers contributing to the thriving cruise industry in Lisbon.

The 'turnaround' segment, which involves cruises embarking and/or disembarking at the Lisbon cruise terminal, experienced remarkable growth, reaching a total of 204,004 passengers. This represents a substantial 131% increase from the previous year, with 102,680 passengers embarking and 101,324 disembarking.

Passengers in transit also saw a significant surge, totaling 554,324 and reflecting a growth of 37% compared to 2022. The Port of Lisbon emphasized that cruise activity had a substantial direct economic impact on the city, exceeding 83 million euros. An economic impact study, conducted by Netsonda and Nova SBE on behalf of the Port of Lisbon, considered an average spending of 367 euros by passengers on board and 82 euros by passengers in transit.

Throughout the year, the Port of Lisbon accommodated 347 stopovers, marking an increase of 20 from the previous year. Additionally, the 'turnaround' calls reached a new record of 107, surpassing the previous maximum of 103 stopovers recorded in the same period the previous year.

Analyzing passenger origins, the United Kingdom dominated with 38% (286,305 passengers), followed by the United States with a 20% share, experiencing a remarkable 116% growth compared to 2022. German passengers accounted for 15% of cruise passengers, marking a 14% growth from the previous year, while Canadian passengers, with 34,085 passengers (+172%), held a 4% market share.

In the 'turnaround' segment, passengers from the USA significantly contributed, increasing from 28,355 in 2022 to 86,124 in 2023, representing a remarkable 204% growth.

The Port of Lisbon highlighted that 24 ships chose Lisbon for their first call, with four of them passing through on their maiden voyage. Notably, the "Silver Nova," recognized as the most sustainable cruise ship with hybrid energy sources and the capability for zero harmful emissions in port, made its maiden voyage in Lisbon. The cruise industry aims to achieve zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, with plans for Lisbon and other ports to supply electrical energy to docked cruise ships by 2026 to eliminate all CO2 emissions in the ports. Photo by Enrico Strocchi from Forlì, Italy, Wikimedia commons.