History and current development
In 1992 the Basque Government, the Provincial Council of Bizkaia and the Municipal Council of Getxo set up a publicly-owned company under the name Sociedad Pública Puerto Deportivo El Abra – Getxo S.A. to construct and operate the Getxo Marina.
The points considered when choosing this as the location of the first marina in the Basque Country were the following:
- It had room for more than 700 moorings.
- There was no need to build large sheltering infrastructures because they were already in place.
- There was a close link between the marina and the town.
- The waters were easily navigable.
- The site was capable of handling international cruise liners.
On completion of the infrastructure work, in December 1994 the Bilbao Port Authority granted the administrative concession for the operation of the Getxo Marina to Sociedad Pública Puerto Deportivo El Abra – Getxo S.A. for a 30-year term which expires on 4 January 2025.
At present the Getxo Marina is operated by Getxo Kaia S.A. on a leasehold basis.
The Getxo Marina is now one of the tourist gateways to the Basque Country thanks to its three cruise terminals, and it receives close to 100,000 tourists and visitors per year. It is also a benchmark for marinas in the Basque Country and one of the main tourist, commercial, sporting and social attractions of Getxo.
