MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Gibraltar expects record 248 cruise calls and 380.000 visitors this year

The Rock’s air link includes 28 flights per week to UK and 11 to Madrid

The great success of Gibraltar’s cruise industry with record 248 calls scheduled for this year with an estimated 380.000 passengers was underlined by Minister for Development Joe Holliday in his intervention before the local Parliament during the Budget Debate for 2009.

Mr Holliday said the cruise sector in 2008, in Gibraltar was a great success with 222 cruise calls and 308,989 passengers – an 11.9% increase in passenger numbers compared to 2007. The largest number of people arriving on a single day was on 30 August, when 8,281 passengers and crew arrived on both Independence of the Seas and MSC Opera.

Mr Holliday referred to several international awards obtained by Gibraltar this year and said these were a testament “to the professional manner in which cruise ships and their passengers are dealt with during their visits to Gibraltar.”

The Minister said Gibraltar will have another record year in 2009, when 248 calls are

scheduled to call with an estimated 380,000 passengers.

“It is still too early to predict how 2010 will turn out. However, 185 bookings have so far been received with a potential passenger throughput of 313,600. This figure will continue to grow in the coming months. He said the cruise liner terminal would be extended to double its passenger handling capacity”.

Mr. Holliday said that overall Gibraltar’s resilient economy continues to grow albeit at a slower rate than in previous years and warned “will not be immune to the recession but was well placed to emerge strengthened from these uncertain times”

He described Gibraltar as a stable market for business and investment at a time when some of the world’s leading jurisdictions were suffering from negative growth adding he Government is optimistic that business and investment will continue to grow in Gibraltar, especially when the transition to a low tax jurisdiction is completed.

“It is envisaged that the Mid-Town Development and the Eastside Project will commence in the near future. There are other projects in the pipeline currently being discussed with the Government by potential developers, some of which will hopefully start to come on stream next year. Amongst these are various hotel projects, which the Government is keen to see coming to fruition,” declared the Minister.

He also said Government hoped that the New Development Plan will be published before the end of the year.

Mr Holliday explained that despite the very difficult commercial circumstances being experienced by the airline industry worldwide, the number of arrivals by air last year was 183,663, representing an increase of 2.2% over the previous year.

The Minister said that 2009 is already looking like another record year for air arrivals as in the first five months of 2009 Gibraltar registered an increase in air passenger arrivals of 16.5% over the same period in 2008.

Mr Holliday said Gibraltar currently has 28 flights per week to the UK, with EasyJet and British Airways flying 12 times and 7 times respectively to London Gatwick, and Monarch Scheduled operating 6 flights a week to London Luton and 3 to Manchester.

He said that earlier this week, British Airways announced that it would be transferring its Gibraltar operation from London Gatwick to London Heathrow as from the winter schedule, thus allowing Gibraltar to be served from a fourth UK airport.

“The move from London Gatwick to London Heathrow is a positive development, especially for the business community,” he declared.

Mr Holliday stated that following the departure of Iberia last year, flights to Madrid were resumed by Andalus Airlines at the end of April of this year.

“The frequency of the Gibraltar-Madrid operation is currently 11 times a week. Andalus Airlines will be starting its thrice-weekly operation to Barcelona as from Friday 3rd July, which is next week.”

The Minister said that later this year, Gibraltar will have connectivity with six destinations, while it will continue to develop a strategy to attract more operators to coincide with the opening of the new air terminal.

Mr Holliday also recalled the recent introduction of the Civil Aviation Act 2009 and other pieces of legislation following changes incorporated into the new Gibraltar Constitution, which saw the Minister for Transport given responsibilities previously held by the Governor.