Santa Cruz de Tenerife has seen a significant increase in tourist expenditure from cruise passengers disembarking in the city, with a total of 141 million euros spent in 2023. This represents a 16% increase from 2022 and a 30% rise compared to 2019, as reported by the Development Society. This growth indicates an enhancement in business revenue through the attraction of higher quality tourism.
Mayor José Manuel Bermúdez highlighted the positive results, stating, “These figures are proof of the excellent efforts of our local businessmen and women. They show that our city is increasingly appealing to tourists who come to explore our attractions and products.”
Carmen Pérez, CEO of the Development Company, noted, “In 2023, we observed an increased reliance on our city as a cruise stop. Tourists not only explore but also spend significantly during their stay.”
She added that the growth in tourism has been exponential compared to the immediate post-COVID-19 period in 2021, with early 2024 reaching the highest expenditure figures in the last six years, even surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
“We hope that both spending and visitor arrivals continue to rise. This ongoing increase is vital for boosting our capital and supporting the local merchants who are integral to our economy,” Pérez remarked.
In 2023, Santa Cruz received over 3.2 million cruise passengers, marking a 15% increase from 2022 and a 31.5% rise from 2019. These numbers not only demonstrate a robust recovery of the local economy post-pandemic but also show a significant improvement from the 58.2 million euros spent in 2021 to 141 million euros in 2023.
Data for early 2024 indicates that the upward trend is set to continue. In January and February alone, the city welcomed 22,000 more tourists than during the same period last year, with the number of cruise passengers disembarking rising from 69,412 in early 2021 to 620,858 in early 2024.
The positive trend is also mirrored in hotel occupancy rates, which stood at 71.4 percent in January and February 2024.
