Cruises from Barcelona to grow in 2011 with Liberty of the Seas

Barcelona Turisme wil give you information on what's on in Barcelona click here...

Phil: My prediction that Barcelona will have a hugepart to play in the growth of the European cruise market looks like bearing fruit. This easily accessible port in Northern Spain is proving to be a magnet for European cruise growth. This is great news for the British market with flights from almost every UK airport, and the opportunity for a pre or post cruise stay in Barcelona or other Spanish/French resorts makes Barcelona even more popular.

Here's the press release.

Royal Caribbean International's Liberty of the Seas will move to Barcelona in 2011, joining two other large cruise ships sailing from the Spanish port city that year.

Norwegian Cruise Line's 4,200-passenger Norwegian Epic and the 3,690-passenger Carnival Magic also are scheduled to spend summer 2011 in Barcelona. The Epic will make its debut this summer, and the Magic is scheduled to enter service in 2011.

The 3,600-passenger Liberty has been based in Miami since its debut in 2007. Royal Caribbean said the Barcelona move demonstrates its commitment to the Spanish market.

"In such a pessimistic economic environment, we are proud to continue our commitment to the Spanish market and to keep investing in it," Belen Wanguemert, managing director of Royal Caribbean's Spanish division, said in a statement.

Royal Caribbean said the Spanish cruise sector has grown 8% to 10% annually despite a fall in general tourism there. The line predicts 60% growth in passenger volume from Spain in 2010, compared with 30% growth in 2009.

The Liberty will be the second Freedom-class vessel to be based in Europe. Its sister ship, the Independence of the Seas, will homeport year-round in Southampton, England, beginning in late April.

In March, Royal Caribbean said, it will reveal the Liberty's itineraries from Barcelona as well as how long the ship will be based there. The ship is scheduled to sail from Miami through March 2011.

This is a cruise blog entry by Phil