Arrecife began its cruise pre-season this weekend with the call of the mega cruise ship MSC Virtuosa, carrying 4,500 passengers and over 1,500 crew members. This ship, which frequently sails the waters of the Canary Islands, docked at the cruise terminal in the capital of Lanzarote.
The open commercial zone experienced an intense commercial day this weekend as the 4,500 tourists, businesses open on the holiday, and performances for the patron saint festivities of San Ginés came together. The MSC Virtuosa remained docked in Arrecife on Saturday, before continuing its journey towards Lisbon in the afternoon and evening. According to the City Council, "having two days of navigation after its stop in the capital of Lanzarote further boosts consumption and shopping in this city," and they explain that this is evident from studies conducted by destinations on the significant economic impact generated by the cruise tourism industry in the ports where they dock.
The mayor of Arrecife, Yonathan de León, who is a member of the Board of Directors of the Port Authority of Las Palmas, has announced that, according to official statistics from the APLP, one hundred cruise calls are confirmed from August to the end of December 2026, with requests made by shipping companies to dock at the ports of Arrecife.
At the end of July, official figures from Puertos del Estado on cruise tourism visiting state ports were released, with Arrecife, within the Canary Archipelago, becoming the only city with a state port that consolidates its growth in the arrival of international passengers. For Yonathan de León, this reality supports the significant weight that this characteristic activity offers to the billing of the Port Authority of Las Palmas, where Lanzarote contributes more than 30% of the business volume from cruise activity across the entire entity of ports in the province of Las Palmas.
Cruise Pre-season in Arrecife 2026/2027
In addition to the call of the Virtuosa, belonging to one of the major cruise companies in Europe, MSC—a shipping company that has confirmed Arrecife as a home port for its calls until 2028—the Allura will join on August 31st, and on September 12th, coinciding with the celebration of the Festivity of Los Dolores, the ultra-luxurious mega yacht boutique SH Diana.
Due to requests for stops in the ports of Arrecife, the months of November and December will be very intense, with the capital of Lanzarote even receiving cruise ship visits on the last days of the year (December 31) and January 1, 2027, events that have been infrequent until now as shipping companies opt for other destinations in the North Atlantic waters for those dates.
Reinforcement of Arrecife's promotion as "capital of shopping, hospitality, and leisure"
From the Department of Tourism and Commerce, under the direction of councilwoman Eli Merino, the promotion and consolidation of Arrecife as the capital of shopping, hospitality, and leisure has been promoted during this term, where small businesses with open businesses in the island's capital see this cruise activity as one of their great strengths, especially during the so-called cruise season.
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