Author: Alex Fraile, Professional Tour Guide and Welcome Ashore Ambassador

As a tour guide in Palma de Mallorca, I see firsthand how cruise tourism brings life to our city. They come to experience our way of life, our art, history, food, and the natural beauty of this land – and they leave with respect for our culture and gratitude for our welcome.

Jobs like mine exist because of cruise tourism, just as they do for the small shops, cafés, and artisan workshops that give our coastal cities their heart. Ship days mean reliable income, not only for guides like me, but for countless others in Spain’s port towns.

In Mallorca, Barcelona and other coastal cities, conversations about tourism are changing. The tourism industry often depends on short-term rentals, which can drive up housing costs and make life harder for residents. Cruise tourism is different: passengers leave housing to locals while still spending in our shops, markets, and restaurants.

That difference matters. Neighbours, shop owners and local civic leaders are looking for ways to make tourism work better for everyone, and as we do so, we need to carefully consider how cruise tourism provides steady support for businesses, creates jobs for young people, and generates revenue to invest in infrastructure, from better roads to state-of-the-art ports.

That’s why I joined Welcome Ashore. It is a platform that gives voice to residents, local businesses, workers and civic leaders. Together we can shape an approach to tourism that is balanced, forward-looking, and rooted in respect.

The reality is that tourists, especially cruise passengers, are already part of that vision. They bring steady support to restaurants and markets, to Palma’s cultural sites, and to the small businesses that anchor our beautiful towns. In 2023 alone, cruise tourism generated €6.4 billion in economic activity across Spain and supported nearly 50,000 jobs. That revenue helps fund public services, safeguard cultural treasures, and create opportunities for the next generation.

I think about Palma de Mallorca and how much it has grown thanks to visitors from around the world. Cruise ships have brought life to our markets, customers to our shops, and opportunities for our young people to build their future here.

Of course, some residents have real concerns about how tourism is managed. Those voices are essential in shaping solutions, and cruise tourism must continue to be improved with resident input. At the same time, we also see campaigns driven by outside agendas that aim to divide rather than improve. Planned and managed tourism like cruise visitors are part of the solution, not the problem.

I joined Welcome Ashore because I believe in collaboration: residents, local businesses, workers, and visitors working side by side, as partners, with the cruise industry. With more local voices at the table, we can create a tourism model that benefits us all.

If you feel the same, join the Welcome Ashore coalition via the website, share your thoughts and your story and let’s do this, together.