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The Port of Málaga is heading for a record-breaking year in cruise traffic, with forecasts showing it will comfortably pass 600,000 passengers in 2026, arriving across more than 350 ship visits.

 

That would build on already strong growth. Port officials say 2025 closed with around 575,000 cruise passengers, which was a clear rise on 2024, when numbers stayed below half a million at about 492,000. In recent years, the Málaga Port Authority has seen what it calls “continuous growth in general cruise tourism,” with a clear aim to strengthen the city’s role as a home port, where cruises both start and end.

 

Pilar Fernández Fígares, manager of Málaga port, says this kind of visitor is especially valuable. “It is a tourist that interests us a lot, because whoever chooses Málaga to take a cruise has previously stayed overnight in the city and has made a significant economic outlay, beyond that made by someone who comes in transit,” she said.

 

This follows a wider trend across the region, after Málaga and Cádiz were already leading Andalucía’s cruise surge last summer, with both ports seeing sharp rises in arrivals during the peak season.

 

Looking at how the year will unfold, the port expects a busy spring. From April to June, a high number of stopovers is forecast, followed by quieter months in July and August. Activity is then expected to pick up again from September, which the port describes as the “second high season”, lasting through to the end of the year.

 

While cruise numbers are much smaller than those at Málaga Airport, which handles around 27 million passengers, the port argues that its impact is still important. “We contribute a sustainable volume of passengers that is gradually increasing,” Fernández Fígares said.

 

One company set to play a bigger role in 2026 is MSC Cruises, which plans 24 stops in Málaga, with 15 of those using the city as a starting point for cruises. By the end of the year, the MSC Euribia will also arrive in Málaga for the first time. The ship uses a more environmentally friendly sailing system and, according to port managers, its visit will mark “a milestone in the relationship between the company and the city.”

 

For local residents and businesses, the message is clear. Cruise tourism in Málaga is not slowing down, and with more ships, more home port departures and a busy spring ahead, the Costa del Sol looks set to welcome more visitors than ever before.

 

 

Image: wikicommons