The port of Funchal, in Madeira’s capital, is Portugal’s busiest port and welcomes the largest number of cruise ships and their passengers to Portugal.
Funchal was the main destination for 68 percent of cruise passengers visiting Portugal, during the first three months of this year, consolidating its status as the country’s cruise capital.
Between January and March this year 165 cruise ships docked in one of Portugal’s ports, 38 vessels more than during the same period of last year. In that three-month time frame 304,332 passengers visited the country, or 24.9 per cent more than during the first three months of 2011.
Madeira welcomed 207,412 of the cruisers, 16 percent more than a year earlier and is therefore responsible for 68 percent of all cruise passengers who visited Portugal during the afore-mentioned period. Thirty-five ships docked in Lisbon during the first three months of 2012.
The ships that dock in Lisbon and Funchal are the largest of those visiting Portugal and carry on average 1,900 passengers each. The ports of Leixões and the Azores registered the lowest number of cruise visitors.
According to data from Madeira’s port administrators, Funchal received 105 ships during the first trimester of 2012, 16 more than during the same period of 2011.
Throughout 2011, 848 cruise ships docked at Portuguese ports, bringing with them a total of 1,216,636 passengers. Funchal took 540,180 of those passengers, or 44 percent of all cruisers who visited Portugal last year, with Lisbon welcoming 502,644 cruise tourists.
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