“The choice of Barcelona as a base for the Allure of the Seas for the entire 2015 season is a challenge for the large scale of operations that the ship will be making, but it also helps to consolidate Barcelona as the leader in the European and Mediterranean cruise sector” said Sixte Cambra, president of Barcelona Port Authority.
At a joint press conference, Belén Wangüemert, CEO of Royal Caribbean in Spain and France, highlighted the enormous boost that the arrival of a vessel of this type represents for tourism and for business directly linked to cruise activity, involving a full range of port services and supplies. Specifically, Belén Wangüemert said that 158,000 passengers are expected to pass through the Port of Barcelona in the vessel’s turnaround operations (start and end of the cruise), contributing 17.5 million EUR to the city’s economy.
This estimate is based on the latest study from Barcelona Tourist Board, which has calculated that cruise passengers in turnaround spend an average of 113 EUR, but this is not the only impact the Allure of the Seas will cause on the local economy. Wealth creation also includes business generated by ship supplies (food, fuel, water and all kinds of consumer products); services and port fees; the benefit in tourist terms of bringing passengers to Barcelona from all over the world; or the positive impact it has on the international image of the capital of Catalonia.