With nearly a 6 percent drop in cruise traffic in 2013 over 2012, cruise and tourism interests in the Canary Islands are joining forces to develop a common strategic plan for cruise tourism, according to Tourism Promotur de Canarias.

A statement from Promotur said that the seven islands offer untapped cruise potential to attract more visitors from the EU, but also from the U.S. and beyond, in addition to being well positioned for trans-Atlantic crossings and other repositioning cruises.

Combined, the islands reported about 1.7 million passengers in 2012 and 1.6 million in 2013.