Between January and March 2023, the Port of Santa Cruz has received a total of 349,365 cruise passengers, according to data from the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Port Authority, which means doubling the figure for the same period in 2022, in which 141,015 passengers arrived. This has been communicated by the CEO of the Development Society, Alfonso Cabello, who has highlighted that “already in the months of November and December 2022 a significant upturn began to be noticed, with the arrival of 180,999 and 170,508 cruise passengers respectively.”
A rhythm of arrivals that has been maintained in these first days of May in which, coinciding with the big days of the founding festivities of the city, more than 8,200 passengers and some 2,400 crew members have arrived in the capital. Specifically, they did so last Tuesday, May 2, when the Queen Victoria cruise ship docked in the port of Santa Cruz, with capacity for 2,489 passengers and 900 crew members, while this Friday the 5th at 8:00 a.m. the MSC Virtuosa arrived, a cruise ship with capacity for 5,772 passengers and 1,500 crew members.
Last Thursday and yesterday cruise ships also docked, as will another on the 24th, but with a smaller capacity than those that arrived earlier this month. These five days close, therefore, as especially positive days for both the city’s shops and the hotel industry.
However, the low season for cruise ship arrivals will take place during the summer months, so the number of cruise passengers is expected to drop in the coming months. Even so, as reported by Cabello, “between May and August, the arrival of fourteen cruise ships to the port of Santa Cruz is already scheduled, with a total capacity of 31,485 passengers and 10,785 crew members.”
September
Likewise, the mayor points out that “as of September the rate of arrival of cruise ships will increase again, with a forecast of six ships with a capacity for 22,849 passengers and 5,820 crew members throughout the month” and explained that “around 7 out of every 10 cruise passengers who arrive at the port of Santa Cruz visit the city”, becoming one of the main routes for the arrival of tourists to the municipality, together with that of excursionists.
The Port of Santa Cruz, according to Promotur data, closed 2022 with 542,399 cruise passengers, a figure still below that registered in 2019, which was above 700,000. The rapid recovery that the sector is having makes the city optimistic in terms of forecasts for the end of the year, where it is expected that the data from last year will be exceeded, and that they will be close to or even equal those of the pre-pandemic period.
In response to the growing demand for leisure activities related to the Santa Cruz destination, the City Council launched the Tourist Routes through Santa Cruz de Tenerife initiative in 2022. This activity includes the Historical Route, focused on the cultural and architectural heritage of the city center, and the Botanical Route, which reviews the different plant species that make up the García Sanabria Park.
The first of these routes starts from the Palacio de Carta, in Plaza de la Candelaria, and lasts one hour. To participate in this tour, of about 1.5 kilometres, it is necessary to make a reservation in advance, which can be done 15 days in advance and up to 15 minutes before it starts. The places that are visited are those of the church of La Concepción, La Noria street, the Guimerá theater, Plaza del Chicharro, Plaza del Príncipe, Museum of Fine Arts, Círculo de Amistad XII de Enero, Plaza de San Francisco, and ends in the Plaza de la Candelaria. This route is carried out from Monday to Friday and starts at twelve in the morning.
The botanical route covers up to 16 points in the García Sanabria park where a specimen with its own history stands. Canary Islands palm trees, the candil tree, macadamia or tamarind are some of the protagonists. It takes place every Friday, starting at ten in the morning, and lasts approximately one hour. Like the previous one, it can be reserved up to 15 minutes before its start and the meeting point is the flower clock.
On the other hand, coinciding with the recent reopening of the Palacio de Carta, a new guided tour has been enabled to learn about the characteristics and history of this emblematic building located in the Plaza de la Candelaria and which from now on will function as the Tourist Information Office . In this case, the duration is only 15 minutes and it can be done from Monday to Friday, starting at 12:00. The city’s agenda can also be consulted at the Palacio de Carta.
Those interested in doing any of the tourist routes described, which are carried out in both Spanish and English, can book their free place through the website www.elcorazondetenerife.com/rutas-turisticas-santa-cruz/. There you can download the voucher that you must show when you join the route. For its part, on the website www.elcorazondetenerife.com/agenda/ you can consult the complete program of activities planned for the coming months.
