Genoa, 12 March 2024 - Numbers that count: a total of almost 2000 participants, 150 speakers, 120 stands, 180 exhibitors, 220 cruise line managers, including 90 buyers. These are some of the figures to have emerged from the first edition of the CLIA Cruise Week - Europe held at the Jean Nouvel Pavillion in the Levante Waterfront from 11 to 14 March, organised by the Cruise Lines International Association, with the support of the Liguria Region, the City of Genoa, the Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority and the Genoa Chamber of Commerce.
An unprecedented Cruise Expo where, for the first time, Italian and European Government Ministers, CEOs of the global cruise lines, public corporations and international authorities, major shipyards and hundreds of suppliers gather in Genoa in a period characterised by great optimism across the cruise industry.
According to CLIA, 2024 forecasts point to over 14 million cruise passenger movements and 5,200 calls across the 60 Italian cruise ports (including both homeport and transit passengers), firmly establishing Italy, il Belpaese, as the top European cruise destination. In addition, Italy ranks as the premier European country to benefit from the sizable economic impact generated by the global cruise industry; in 2022, it accounted for 15.6 billion euros of the overall contribution of 56.4 billion euros to the European economy.
At the European Summit in Genoa, CLIA revealed that 55 cruise ships are on order globally, representing an investment of 33.9 billion euros for the next five years, and that 52 newbuilds are to be constructed in Europe which has a long-standing far-reaching industrial cruise chain supply industry. Specifically, the Italian shipyards are set to build half of the cruise vessels on order up to 2028, for a total investment of 20 billion euros. Since ship construction has a high multiplier effect, the overall economic impact is estimated at over 80 billion euros in Italy.
"CLIA Cruise Week - Europe provides an extraordinary opportunity for the City-Port of Genoa and immediately received the full support of the Western Ligurian Sea Port Authority, together with all the other local partners", declared Government Port Commissioner Paolo Piacenza. "With a record 2.5 million cruise passengers handled by the Ports of Genoa and Savona in 2023, the choice of the Ligurian capital as host-city is a testimony to its leadership in the thriving Mediterranean cruise sector. This exclusive event will allow us to showcase to the market leaders the appeal of our city-ports as a major cruise destination and to illustrate the large-scale infrastructure investment programme underway to upgrade quayline facilities and accessibility, and to ensure sustainable development across the forthcoming provision of on-shore power supply to all cruise ships docking at the Ports of Genoa and Savona."
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