Tourism leaders in Mallorca have sealed a pact to allow no more than three cruise ships arriving per day in 2023 and 2024 to the island's capital of Palma.
At a conference in Paris, they agreed to back the island's new "quality over quantity" approach to tourism in a bid to protect the environment and avoid saturation. The pact is the first of its kind in Spain.
In future, the port of Palma will not be able to receive more than three cruise ships per day in the next two years. There will be no exception days as happened in 2022 when, on a number of occasions, there were more than three liners in dock as arrangements had already been made.
The pact was agreed last May and now becomes fully effective. Companies signing the agreement included MSC Cruises, Crystal Cruises and Costa Cruises, among others.
Mallorca's Minister of Economic Model, Tourism and Labour, Iago Negueruela said: "The foundations of an even more responsible tourism model have been laid and one that continues to generate wealth, addressing the specific needs of Palma."
The agreement means images which infuriated environmental campaigners, such as five megacruises moored on the same day in Palma, will not be repeated.
President of the Employers' Association of Maritime Activities Entrepreneurs, Beatriz Orejudo said: ""Palma is one of the most demanded by European cruise passengers but as agreed between CLIA and the regional executive, there will be no exception days in 2023, since the shipping companies have had enough time to adapt to the new regulation. "
However, the platform against megacruises says the agreement does not go far enough.
"We are convinced that the reduction in the arrival of these ships is insufficient," said "This tourism is, apparently, the origin of great evils; the fact that these ships have chimneys is one of the most serious.
"Like everything else, it is good management that will allow visitors to get to know the island without giving the impression that they have landed with the intention of embittering our existence."
The cruise tourism contributes more than 500 million euros to the Balearic Islands annually and generates more than 4,000 jobs.
It's not the first time that a destination has looked to introduce limits on cruises. Venice for example limited cruise ships from lining the city in 2021 in order to protect its World Heritage Site status, and last year introduced new measures such as a tourism tax for day visitors, affecting cruise holidaymakers who were making short ports of call at the destination.
