The data released at the Italian Cruise Day in Taranto points to a cruise boom at the Ports of Genoa in 2023. The throughput projections presented by the organiser of the leading biennial Italian cruise industry event, Risposte e Turismo, firmly establish the Western Ligurian Sea Ports amongst the leading Mediterranean hubs, with an annual passenger count of approximately 2.3 million.
A focus on regional and national trends across the industry identifies the Liguria Region as the top Italian cruise destination, with 3.1 million passengers, ahead of Lazio (Rome) and Sicily, and Italy as the Mediterranean and Europe's premier cruising area, with a total of 13 million passengers.
The positive results announced at the 9th edition of the Italian Cruise Day are the outcome of the close cooperation forged between the Port Authority and the vibrant cruise cluster in Genoa and Savona, homeports to MSC and Costa, and of the major 245-million euro dedicated-infrastructure investment programme, in part completed, to cater for the advent of the new ultra-large cruise vessels, to slash carbon emissions across the implementation of clean energy transition policies and to redevelop the former Hennebique grain silos, a masterpiece of Art Deco industrial architecture, located alongside Genoa's Stazioni Marittime Passenger Terminals.
The forum provided the industry's leading players with the opportunity to illustrate the wide range of projects underway in the Italian ports, for a total investment of 1.6 billion euros from 2024 to 2026, dedicated to the construction of new all-purpose terminals, the supply of clean and renewable energy sources and the upgrade of cruise services.
