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Palamós, Roses and Sant Carles de la Ràpita soaring to new heights

Palamós, Roses and Sant Carles de la Ràpita soaring to new heights
Ports de la Generalitat is set to welcome 53 ships and 41,000 passengers to the Western Med ports of Palamós, Roses and Sant Carles de la Ràpita this year.

This represents a 32% increase in passenger numbers compared to 2013 and a 23% rise in calls. The economic impact of cruise ships in the Costa Brava and Terres de l’Ebre region is estimated to reach €3m.

On the Costa Brava, the port of Palamós is expecting 36,000 passengers, up 20% on last year, spread out between 34 calls running from late April until mid-November. The port of Roses is on course for spectacular growth, with 13 cruise ships and 4,000 passengers anticipated, four times more than last season. In the Terres de l’Ebre area, Sant Carles de la Ràpita will début as a cruise port this summer, with six calls.

The arrival of Zenith in late April marked the launch of the 2014 season at the port of Palamós and the Costa Brava. Croisières de France’s Zenith is scheduled to call at Palamós five times this year, bringing more than 8,000 tourists.

Other maiden callers at Palamós in 2014 are MSC Sinfonia, Star Flyer and Tere Moana.

Cruise activity at the ports and resorts of Palamós, Roses and Sant Carles de la Ràpita is being promoted on various market-specific platforms under the brand names Costa Brava Cruise Ports and Delta Ebre Port.

The brands are the result of a joint venture run by Ports de la Generalitat along with Costa Brava-Girona Tourist Board, the Palamós and Roses town councils and the Palamós and Girona Chambers of Commerce in the case of Costa Brava Cruise Ports, and together with the Terres de l’Ebre Tourist Board, the Sant Carles de la Ràpita town council and the Tortosa Chamber of Commerce when it comes to Delta Ebre Port.