Portimao popular with cruise boats

Portimão port boost
25/9/2010

In a further endorsement for Portimão as an important destination on the European cruise rota, popular cruise company Pullmantur has included the city on its books and will be making its maiden visit on September 27th.

Next Monday Pullmantur's 'Empress' will be sailing into Portimão as part of an itinerary that includes Malaga, Tangiers and Lisbon.

Pullmantur is following in the footsteps of other large cruise operators, such as Iberocruceros and Princess Cruises.

'Empress' was fully renovated in 2004 and can carry 1,853 passengers and 685 crew members.

At 208 metres in length and 30 metres width the imposing vessel can reach speeds of 19.5 nautical knots and weighs 48,500 tons.

It is due to call into Portimão another 14 times before the end of the year, on October 1st, 5th, 9th, 13th, 17th, 21st, 25th and 29th and November 2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, 18th and 22nd.

In total, 'Empress' will bring an estimated 27,000 tourists to Portimão before 2011, further contributing towards the exponential growth of the city's cruise port.

Its strategic location between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean has made Portimão a popular port-of-call, as well as the 'excellent' safety conditions that the local Town Hall claims it offers.

Last year Portimão welcomed a total of 38 vessels and 23,588 visitors, corresponding to a growth of 46 percent in terms of arrivals and 110 percent in terms of the numbers of passengers in comparison to 2008.

The weekly ferry to Madeira, the 'Volcán de Tijarafe', which is operated by Naviera Armas, also contributes with an annual 27,826 passengers.

By the end of this year 68 cruise ships are expected to have stopped off in Portimão, bringing with them some 60,000 tourists, representing a 79 percent growth in traffic and 155 percent growth in terms of visitors, in comparison to last year.

Source the portugal news