Cruises in italy, +4,1% growth in 2013

Genoa - 11.3 million passenger movements (+4.1%) and 5,059 cruise calls (+3.2 %) with Civitavecchia in first place, thanks to more than 2.5 million cruise passengers handled (+5.8%) and 959 cruise calls (+5.2%), followed by Venice with more than 1.8 million passengers (+3.3%) and 548 cruise calls (-3.7%) and Naples, with about 1.2 million passengers (-4.4%) and 440 cruise calls (-10.6%).

This is a summary of the definitive data for Italian cruise traffic in 2013, with respect to 2012, elaborated by Risposte Turismo - research and consulting company involved in the tourism macro industry - and presented in the 2014 edition of Speciale Crociere, publication dedicated to the performance of the industry in Italy and curated, for the third consecutive year, for the Italian National Observatory of Tourism.

These data which are the result of information obtained from 45 Italian cruise ports that recorded traffic in 2013, show a strong recovery of the national cruise market with respect to the reduction of 2012.

On a regional level the Speciale Crociere realised by Risposte Turismo highlights Lazio’s leadership in 2013 obtained by virtue of the more than 2.5 million passenger movements (22.4% of the country’s cruise traffic) and 969 cruise calls (19.2% of total cruise calls registered in Italy).

For passenger traffic, Liguria follows (2.2 million cruise passengers, equal to 20.1% of the national total) and then Veneto (1.8 million movements, 16% of the national total). As regards cruise calls after Liguria, which is again in second place (827 in 2013), Campania and Sicily follow, with 778 annual calls each (both slightly lower than in 2012).

It should be noted that in 2013 Liguria was the region with the most growth in absolute terms compared to 2012, both in terms of passenger movements (+33.1%), and in terms of cruise calls (+39.2%).

These results were obtained thanks to the performances recorded by the ports of Genoa, La Spezia and Savona, where the growth in numbers of cruise passengers handled was +32%, +385% and +16% respectively.

It also emerged from the study that in 2013 only three Italian regions (Abruzzo, Basilicata and Molise) of the fifteen that face onto the sea, did not register any cruise traffic in 2013. Upon analysing in detail the data relating to individual cruise ports, Venice is confirmed once again in 2013 as the cruise port with the largest number of embarkations and disembarkations thanks to the more than 1.5 million passengers handled, followed by Civitavecchia and Savona (with 990 thousand and 670 thousand respectively).

However, with regard to passengers in transit Civitavecchia leads the classification (1.5 million), followed by Naples and Livorno (about 1 million and 730 thousand passenger movements respectively).

An analysis of the data also suggests that the first five Italian ports concentrated very high shares of traffic , in 2013, that is, 73% of passengers handled and 57% of cruise calls. Lastly, in 2013 four of the country’s ports exceeded a million passengers movements (Civitavecchia, Venice, Naples and Genoa), and fifteen exceeded the threshold of one hundred thousand passengers.

In addition to the final data for 2013, the Speciale Crociere realised by Risposte Turismo also includes the updated estimates for cruise traffic expected for Italy in 2014. At the level of passenger movements, from an analysis of the data provided by 30 ports, which for 2013 represent 89% of passenger traffic and 93% of cruise calls, emerges a substantial confirmation of the reduction announced in October on the occasion of the third edition of the Italian Cruise Day, the reference event for Italy’s cruise sector, conceived and organised by Risposte Turismo.

If this prediction proves to be correct, by the end of 2014 the total number of cruise passenger movements will be about 10.5 million (-7%), while the cruise calls will be about 4,500 (-11.3%), going back to figures similar to those recorded in 2009.

“The performance of cruise traffic in Italy seems to be moving toward a new phase in which the alternation from one year to the next of positive and negative variations could be the rule. This is typical of a product and market that has reached maturity,” commented Francesco di Cesare, President of Risposte Turismo. “However, there is certainly a base from which to go in search of new and constant traffic increases, and results in general,” continued di Cesare.

Careful planning at a national level, new investments, a stronger commitment from the Government and public administrations, and a more frank and constructive dialogue with the companies will be necessary.” The 2014 Speciale Crociere edition realised by Risposte Turismo is available in its entirety on the website of the Italian National Observatory of Tourism.