The year 2025 was a busy one for the region and for the Ports of Madeira regarding Tourism. After winning the World Travel Awards prize for “Best Cruise Terminal for Sustainability in 2024”, we got down to work and charted a course.
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We have moved forward with the establishment of a Consultative Forum for Sustainability and the Environment, which involves the port community and industry stakeholders, such as university and other partners working in the areas of the environment and energy, as well as CLIA itself, in a space for dialogue and cooperation that contributes to the promotion of environmentally sustainable best practices in ports and their areas of influence.
The region's ports are involved in several European projects such as Green Ports Madeira, DUAL and SHIFT2DC, which aim to create a greener and more sustainable future, developing Madeira in terms of environmental sustainability, energy transition, digitalisation and decarbonisation.
We are currently developing the ‘Funchal Port Environmental Plan’, which will enable integrated monitoring of water, electricity and fuel consumption, as well as recording parameters related to air and water quality in the port area, while also accounting for greenhouse gas emissions.
Cruises are of significant economic and social importance to Madeira, bringing thousands of visitors to the region every year and contributing to the reputation of our destination. It is therefore essential to coordinate and share efforts, resources and knowledge among the various entities that are directly or indirectly related to this activity.
Madeira ports recorded a 23.05% increase in passengers, 26.71% in crew members and 17.13% in the number of stopovers in Funchal and Porto Santo last season. During this period, the two cruise ports handled 743,699 passengers, surpassing the 604,370 cruise passengers who visited Madeira in the same period last year by almost 140,000 passengers. This growth was also seen in the number of stopovers, with the number of cruise ships docking at regional ports increasing from 254 in 2023/24 to 335 in 2024/25.
We would also like to share the latest news with you: Madeira has once again been voted “Europe’s Leading Island Destination 2025”, and the Madeira Promotion Bureau has been named “Europe’s Leading Official Tourism Organisation 2025” in this year’s edition of the World Travel Awards.
These distinctions reinforce the excellence and consistency of the tourist offer in Madeira and Porto Santo, affirming the destination as an international benchmark and a safe choice for those seeking authenticity, nature, culture and hospitality.