Cadiz recorded a whopping 695,171 cruise ship passengers last year. (Image: Getty)
An ancient founded over 3,000 years ago has suffered as numbers have hit a staggering new high.
Cadiz, the oldest city in Western Europe, recorded a whopping 695,171 cruise ship passengers last year, a 2% increase compared to the previous year, with 333 cruise calls compared to 347 in 2023.
The eye-watering numbers mean that Cádiz remains the leading Andalusian port in cruise traffic. The average size of ships arriving at the docks of Cádiz also increased by 2% compared to 2023.
With stunning architecture, including the Cadiz Cathedral and Roman Theatre, alongside stretches of beautiful white sandy beaches, the Spanish city is becoming increasingly popular, attracting swarms of tourists who want to immerse themselves among the white-washed buildings.
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Cadiz has suffered mass tourism chaos. (Image: Getty)
The ancient port is just a five-minute walk from Cadiz’s historic centre, making it extremely convenient for holidaymakers keen to explore the ancient city.
Forecasters believe that Cadiz is on track for another record-breaking cruise ship passenger year in 2025. Already, the Port of the Bay of Cádiz has 351 cruise calls scheduled for this year, and it is believed this number could climb to 396, 63 more than in 2024.
Last summer, Spain declared a crisis in Cadiz after 13000 tourists from massive cruise ships descended on the city—equal to almost half the population —throwing locals into turmoil.
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Cadiz on track for another record breaking cruise ship passenger year in 2025. (Image: Getty)
This prompted activists from Cadiz Resiste to be up in arms, arguing that the overwhelming influx of tourists is wreaking havoc on their beloved city.
Cadiz Resiste released a fiery statement: “They (tourists) are stealing our city, our neighbourhoods and businesses, the very possibility of making a life in Cadiz.”
Cadiz is not the only Spanish city struggling with the influx of cruise ship passengers. In 2023, Ibiza welcomed nearly 550,000 passengers. The tiny Balearic island is home to just 50,000 residents.
According to The Ibiza Preservation Sustainability Observatory, the number of cruise passengers who visited the island “exceeded the resident population by 3.45 times.”