Portuguese ports have reported 945 034 cruise passengers for 2009 up 4 percent from 2008. This number includes passengers visiting the ports of Leixoes, Lisbon, Portimão, Funchal, Azores and this year also Viana do Castelo and Cascais.

The increase was attributed to a 94 percent rise in turnaround passengers – to 97 439, while transit calls were down 1 per cent.

The Portuguese ports embarked 49 928 passengers (up 102 percent from the previous year) and disembarked 47 511 (up 86 percent). 

There was also a decrease in calls, 719 against 739 in 2008, but bigger ships made up for the drop. Turn-around calls reached 100.