La Palma busca mejorar la oferta turística para cruceristas con Puertos de Tenerife

The Tourism Councillor, Raquel Rebollo, highlights the joint work with Ports of Tenerife and the sector of the Island to respond to the demands of visitors arriving through cruises

The Tourism Department of the Cabildo de La Palma and the Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife are analyzing strategies hand in hand with the sector on the Island to improve the offer aimed at cruise passengers. For this reason, a series of meetings have been held with representatives of different active leisure companies to enhance the promotion of the range of activities that can be carried out on the Island to reach more visitors arriving at the port.

Tourism Councillor, Raquel Rebollo, emphasizes the continuous commitment of the government team and the service she leads to work hand in hand with sector companies to achieve a dual objective, on the one hand, to enhance the experience of cruise passengers visiting the Island and, on the other hand, to boost the economic impact on local businesses linked to tourism.

In this line of work, the Commercial and Product Development Manager of the Port Authority of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Luz Marina Espiau Moreno, has traveled to La Palma to hold meetings with representatives of different companies to learn, on the one hand, what each of them offers and, also, to guide them based on their knowledge of the demands of cruise passengers.

«The objective of these meetings is nothing other than to coordinate efforts between public and private entities to offer products and services adapted to the profile of the cruise tourist, as well as to design specific promotion strategies that attract the cruiser to discover more of the island during their stop,» adds Raquel Rebollo.

The councillor points out, in this sense, that this will allow, among other things, to strengthen the image of La Palma as an attractive port on the Atlantic routes and increase the average length of stay and spending of visitors in the destination. «We want every cruiser arriving on the Island to become an advocate for La Palma, a place that offers a unique experience, based on its natural and cultural heritage, among other attractions,» says Rebollo.

This is a first round of meetings that will continue with excursion companies, tourist guides, restaurants, transportation, and local businesses, among others. This will allow the creation of a better portfolio of activities for cruise tourism where more exclusive and unique activities and experiences are being demanded.

Cruise tourism, a rising value in La Palma

Last year, La Palma received a total of 254,126 cruise passengers, representing an increase of 33.61% compared to 2023. This growth translates to 63,933 new cruisers who chose to visit the island.

As for the number of stops, 154 cruises arrived at the port of Santa Cruz de La Palma in 2024, reflecting an increase of 26.23%, thanks to the joint work between the Port Authority, the Cabildo de La Palma, and other tourism governance agents.

So far in 2025 (January to April), 175,542 cruise passengers have already been counted, representing a growth of 67.67% compared to the same period of the previous year, that is, 70,850 more visitors in just four months.

Additionally, 99 cruise stops have been recorded in this period, representing an increase of 47.76% compared to the same interval in 2024. These figures consolidate La Palma as a booming destination within the cruise segment, thanks to strategic planning and institutional cooperation.

Coordinated work between Cabildo, Port Authority, and tourism sector

The Tourism Department of the Cabildo de La Palma continues to bet on sustainable tourism based on the natural richness of the Island, combined with a series of experiences related to hiking, astrotourism, gastronomy, or activities linked to interpretation centers and the sea, among others.

The insular head of the area, Raquel Rebollo, indicates, in this regard, that the joint work «with Ports of Tenerife allows us to identify new opportunities to energize the local sector.»