According to a press release, the Regional Government states that this number “exceeds the stop overs verified in 2017, its most expressive year”, when it received 152 cruise ships.

This milestone “should see new numbers very soon, since, by the end of the year, another 64 stopovers of tourist ships are planned, which should bring another 52,000 passengers to the islands, a reality that could reach around 217 stopovers and more than 200 thousand passengers visiting the Azores by sea”, according to the Azorean executive.

The regional secretary for Tourism, Mobility and Infrastructure, Berta Cabral, congratulated the public company Portos dos Açores for these results and states that “this data and forecasts are the result of an integrated policy to promote the Azores as a sustainable destination with differentiating characteristics, where culture, the sea, innovation and technology reinforce the excellence of the offer”.