Chaos in Spain as 60,000 cruise ship tourists descend on island loved by Brits

By Jennifer Pinto, Audience writer

Nearly 60,000 passengers have been recorded within seven days. (Image: Getty)

In the past week, 23 cruise ships carrying nearly 60,000 passengers docked in Palma, the popular capital city of the Spanish Balearic Islands. Four of these were mega-cruise ships with capacity for more than 5,000 passengers. This is 21.05% more than during the same period last year. On April 29 and May 2, five cruise ships were docked at the same time, which has sparked concern among local authorities and residents.

Environmental groups such as GOB, Plataforma contra los Megacruceros, and Menys Turisme Més Vida have expressed alarm over both the environmental and social impacts of cruise tourism amid ongoing gentrification in Palma, Ultima Hora reported. The cruise ships that arrived in Palma over the past seven days had a combined passenger capacity of about 58,255 passengers. 

Four of the ships were massive cruise ships able to hold more than 5,000 passengers. (Image: Getty)

However, ships carrying fewer than 500 passengers are exempt from this cap. 

Despite up to five ships docking at once, officials maintain the agreement is being followed, citing average daily capacity figures that remain below the limit.

Seven of the ships that docked in the city over the last week had fewer than 500 passengers.

Four had more than 5,000 while eleven had between 501 and 4,999 passengers, according to the data from the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands.

The largest was the Marella Explorer 2 with a capacity of 6,780 people.

The smallest cruise ship was the Emerald Sakara with just 100 passengers. 

The agreement expires in 2027, and the local government is considering renewing and strengthening it, possibly with new sustainability measures.

Conservationists are pushing for stricter cruise ship limits, similar to the recent restrictions implemented in Venice.