Port Authority of Bilbao, Diputación Foral de Bizkaia together with Turismo de Bilbao, and Turismo de Getxo will celebrate on June 29 the BILBAO BIZKAIA CRUISE FORUM at the new cruise terminal. It is an event aimed at professionals within the port sector, auxiliary industry, travel agencies, institutions related to tourism promotion, as well as hotel managers, services, restaurants, museums, shops, tourist guides and all other facilities that can benefit from the arrival of cruise passengers to Bilbao or who want to expand their knowledge of this industry.
The number of cruise ships which have travelled through the port of Bilbao in recent years has increased globally and exceeded 86,500 cruisers in 2016. This significant growth clearly indicates the importance of port infrastructure for the development of the sector and the need to offer local tourism services adapted to the trends of the cruise market. The cruise lines themselves continue to bet on Atlantic destinations and point out that the disparity of destinations within the north of Spain is a new opportunity to increase passenger visits to Bilbao. Spain is the largest European cruise destination after Italy and our ports are at the top of the world ranking.
Bilbao Bizkaia Cruise Forum is organized by Cruises News Media Group, a media consulting company specializing in the cruise industry and organizer of the International Cruise Summit in Madrid. The forum aims to present the business opportunities that cruise traffic offers for Bilbao and Bizkaia and analyse the promotional activities that have developed from its port and institutions in receiving an increasing number of cruises with the intention of turning Bilbao into a home port.
The forum will be held on June 29 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The event will be hosted by Virginia López, General Manager of Cruises News Media Group and moderated by David Selby, General Director of Travelyields Consulting. After the inauguration and welcome speeches by the Authorities, stimulating topics will be discussed, such as the latest investments made by the Port, including its new cruise terminal to improve the quality of services offered to cruise passengers, business evolution of cruises at this destination making a tour from the past, to the present and future forecasts and Bilbao-Bizkaia as an exceptional cruise destination.
This event will feature executives from the main cruise lines, such as Raffaele D’Ambrosio, Managing Director Costa Cruises, Emiliano González, Managing Director MSC Cruises, Jesús Ramírez, Business Development Manager Norwegian Cruise Line, Roberto Cabello, Business Development Manager Oceania Cruises, Matthew Agg, Destination Manager of Cruise & Maritime or Javier Rodriguez, Port, Ground, Travel & Cruise Operations Director Pullmantur Cruises and representatives of companies of the cruise industry who will participate actively in the forum, through moderated panel discussions, analysing the strategy to follow to obtain greater benefit from the industry in this destination and the future of Bilbao Bizkaia in the cruise industry.
The event is the result of the initiative of Port Authority of Bilbao, Diputación Foral de Bizkaia, Bilbao Tourism and Getxo Tourism, and has the collaboration of several public institutions and private companies.
