Over 700 government and institutional representatives worldwide will join forces with hundreds of cruise ship suppliers, from 11 to 14 March 2024, at the Jean Nouvel Pavilion in Genoa's new Levante Waterfront. The Ligurian capital is set to host both the third edition of the CLIA European Summit and the inaugural CLIA Innovation EXPO, dedicated to procurement for the cruise industry. "The Ports of Genoa's leadership in the Mediterranean, in conjunction with our vibrant state-of-the-art ship refitting and newbuilding facilities boasting over 7000 highly specialised workers, will provide us with the opportunity to connect suppliers with cruise line executives, whilst simultaneously showcasing, both in Italy and overseas, the finest high-quality products, services and solutions from Liguria", declared the Government Commissioner of the Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority, Paolo Piacenza.
The international cruise shipping event will further boost an industry which, for the first time in Italy, will register a 13-million total passenger throughput. "In 2019 the Ports Authority reported a record-breaking cruise year with over 2 million passengers, firmly establishing the Ports of Genoa-Savona as Italy's second-ranking cruise hub. The pandemic had major repercussions on the industry worldwide, but we were the first to resume operations, the result of an outstanding collaboration between the cruise lines, the Coast Guards and the local authorities", remarked Commissioner Piacenza. "In 2022 we reported 1.5 million cruise passengers, up +165% on 2021, whilst the figures released to date confirm that in the first eight months of the year we have already reached last year's throughput, and we are confident that, by the end of 2023, we shall have handled over 2 million passengers, a testament to the full revival of the cities' cruise tourism industry."
The resurgence in cruising in the Ports of Genoa and Savona is bolstered by a major infrastructure investment programme, including retrofitting of quay walls, with related dredging works, at Ponte dei Mille Ponente and Ponte Doria to cater for the next generation of ships. In addition, construction works are underway in both cruise ports for the installation of on-shore power supply to reduce air and noise pollution in the cities. New quay development is also scheduled along Genoa's Ponte di Mille East to accommodate the latest generation of ultra-large cruise vessels.
Speakers at the Press Conference for the presentation of the CLIA European Cruise Week included Pierfrancesco Vago, Global Chairman CLIA; Giovanni Toti, President of the Liguria Region; Marco Bucci, Mayor of Genoa and Luigi Attanasio, President of the Genoa Chamber of Commerce.
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