Madeira ports received 323 stopovers in 2022, more than 2019

The ports of Funchal and Porto Santo registered 323 stopovers last year, 25 more compared to the pre-pandemic period (2019), announced the ports administration of the Autonomous Region of Madeira (APRAM) on Wednesday.

“The year 2022 was the best in the last 10 years of the ports of Madeira – Funchal and Porto Santo – in terms of stopovers, having registered 323 stopovers, 25 more compared to 2019, which represents a growth of more than 8% compared to the pre-pandemic year, when there were a total of 298 stopovers,” indicates APRAM, in a note sent to newsrooms.

The ports administration points out that 2022 “could still have been better, were it not for the 17 cancellations, due to weather or sea conditions”.

Quoted in the statement, the president of the board of APRAM, Paula Cabaço, stresses that “these numbers exceeded the best expectations”, although passenger movement in 2022 (417,730) did not surpass the numbers of the period before the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We have a record year of port stopovers, the best in 10 years, and it can be seen that the movement of passengers was rising throughout the year, representing in the end only 30% less compared to 2019, the year with the most passengers since 2013,” says Paula Cabaço.

The Port of Funchal had 11 more stopovers in 2022 compared to 2019 and a movement of 413,863 passengers, 30% less compared to the year in comparison.

The port of Porto Santo, meanwhile, “achieved an unprecedented result in 2022: 21 stopovers, 3,867 passengers and 3,822 crew”, which means that, “compared to 2019, there were 14 more stopovers and 716 more passengers”.

“The numbers registered in Porto Santo, in stopovers and passengers, are very interesting and demonstrate the potential of the golden island in the niche of the so-called environmental paradises, which today are highly sought after by expedition and thematic ships,” she says.

AIDA Cruises was the company that made the most port calls last year in Madeira ports (40), followed by TUI Cruises (33), P&O (29), Marella Cruises (25) and MSC (17).

According to APRAM data, passengers from more than 160 countries arrived in the region by sea in 2022.