Paula Cabaço, president of Madeira Ports (APRAM, SA), announced the association’s goal to establish Macaronesia as a new cruise destination, according to a press release.
The announcement was made during the CAI Conference 2024, a three-day event held in Funchal. It marked the first formal meeting of the five port authorities—Madeira, Azores, Canary Islands (Las Palmas and Tenerife), and Cape Verde—following the establishment of the International Association of Ports of Macaronesia.
“This is the path we have to point out. A new cruise destination, which speaks directly, with one voice, to the companies”, said Cabaço. “Just as we speak today of the Caribbean as a cruise destination, we are working together, and we have all the conditions so that in the future the Macaronesian islands will also be a reference destination on this side of the Atlantic.”
Cabaço added that the Association’s next steps include holding a general assembly, set for November 11 in Madrid, when the activity plan for the next year will be defined.
During the first meeting of the new Association, the governing bodies, management and secretariat will begin their two-year terms. The presidency of the International Association of Ports of Macaronesia will rotate among members, with Cabaço leading in the first term.
“It is an honor to be able to actively participate in this process. 30 years ago, Madeira was at the basis of the cooperation agreement with the Canary Islands that gave rise to CAI, and now we are once again committed to the development of this partnership, extended to Cape Verde and the Azores”, said the president of Portos da Madeira.
The CAI 2024 Conference, hosted by APRAM, gathered nearly 80 cruise industry experts and honored the founders of CAI. Speakers included industry representatives who emphasized the potential of Macaronesia as a cruise destination, highlighting the safety, uniqueness and quality of the islands’ infrastructure and connections to Europe. Additionally, APRAM signed an environmental cooperation agreement with CLIA and Funchal City Council to promote annual reforestation and environmental education efforts in the Ecological Park, with a tree planting event held prior to the conference.
