A drop of 7.1% in passengers handled (embarking, disembarking and in transit) in Italian cruise ports (10.3 million) and 9.6% in calls (4,500), due in particular to the lower number of cruise ships that will be passing through the ports in the Mediterranean compared to 2016.
These, in short, are the updated forecasts for the cruise traffic expected in Italy in 2017 (passengers embarking, disembarking and in transit) drawn up by Risposte Turismo – a research and consulting company at the service of the tourism macro-industry – and contained in the seventh edition of the “Speciale Crociere” report on cruise tourism, available on the website of Risposte Turismo.
These data, taken from the information obtained from 46 cruise ports, which in 2016 accounted for almost all cruise traffic (99.8%) and calls (97.4%) amply confirm the negative forecast for cruise traffic in Italy announced last September in La Spezia on the occasion of the sixth edition of Italian Cruise Day.
The new forecasts indicate that by the end of the year, there may be a reduction from 4 to 3 in the number of ports able to handle more than a million passengers: Civitavecchia, (2.2 million, -5.9%), Venice (1.4 million, -11.4%) and Naples (1 million, -23.4%).
“Cruise traffic figures in Italy continue to remain around the 11 million passengers mark”, said Francesco di Cesare, President of Risposte Turismo, “sometimes rising above that figure, others falling below it”.
“After two years of growth and stability”, di Cesare continued, “2017 will see a figure well below 11 million. This undoubtedly requires a critical look at the situation, and indeed should be taken as a warning for the future. More than half of the top 10 ports in the country will see a fall in traffic, which in some cases will be significant: after losing its third place in the Mediterranean top ten, Venice could drop from 4th to 5th position; we are looking at a gradual drop in passengers embarking and disembarking, even more than those in transit, and the demand for cruises from Italian tourists seems unlikely to return to the levels recorded a few years ago”.
“Attention, investments and coordination are required to ensure that the cruise sector continues to yield impressive results for Italy”, di Cesare concluded.
In addition to the updated forecasts for cruise traffic in 2017 in Italian ports, the new edition of “Speciale Crociere” drawn up by Risposte Turismo contains an analysis of the number of bed-days on cruise ships per area of destination.
This analysis by Risposte Turismo shows that in 2017, the Mediterranean could register the lowest percentage of world cruise line deployment in the last 10 years: 15.5%, compared to 18.3% in 2016 and 16.4% in 2007.
The forecasts for the current year, a preview of which is offered in the new edition of the research report, show that the top spot is held by the Caribbean (35.6%), followed by the Mediterranean (15.5%) and non-Mediterranean Europe (11.5%). Looking at the world’s areas, it is worth noting the 10.9% market share of Asia, which brings the continent closer than ever to the podium, despite accounting for just 1.5% of traffic 10 years ago; this is indicative of the growth in the cruise market in the area.
The report also contains a preview of the ranking of the top 10 Mediterranean ports in terms of passengers handled in 2016.
Italy boasts five ports in the top 10, with Civitavecchia 2nd (about 2.3 million, behind Barcelona, with about 2.7 million), Venice 4th (about 1.6 million, behind Palma de Mallorca with about 1.63), Naples 6th (about 1.3 million), Genoa 8th (just over 1 million) and Savona 9th (about 910 thousand).
Finally, “Speciale Crociere” contains the cruise traffic data registered in 2016 in all Italian ports.
Compared to 2015, 2016 ended with a situation of substantial stability in terms of the number of passengers handled (about 11 million) and with a rise in calls, which went from 4,824 to 4,980 (+3.2%).
These results are due to a fall in the number of cruise passengers who chose to embark or disembark in Italy (which dropped below the 4 million mark) and a rise in the number of passengers in transit.
There was a drop in numbers in the Adriatic macro area (down 2.5%), while traffic rose in the rest of Italy.
The full-year figures for 2016 confirm that in terms of passengers handled per region, Liguria, Lazio and Veneto head the list, with figures of about 2.5 million (-3.8%), 2.3 million (+2.9%) and 1.6 million (+1.4%) respectively.
In 2016, these three regions accounted for almost 58% of passengers handled. This figure rises to 81% if we also count Campania (in 4th place with 1.5 million, -2.5%) and Sicily (in 5th place, with just over 1.1 million, +2.6%).
With regard to calls, the top positions in 2016 was occupied by Lazio (870, +6.5%), followed by Sicily (814, +11.1%), Campania and Liguria (with 803 and 788 calls respectively).
As for the number of cruise ports that welcomed cruise ships in 2016, Sicily remains top of the ranking at regional level, with 10 ports, followed by Liguria (9) and Campania (7).
The full-year data for 2016 on individual ports confirm Venice’s position as Italy’s top homeport (largest number of passengers embarking and disembarking, totalling just over 1.4 million), followed by Civitavecchia and Genoa, with about 847 thousand and about 642 thousand passengers handled respectively.
With regard to cruise passengers in transit, top of the list is once again Civitavecchia (about 1.5 million), followed by Naples (about 1.2 million) and Livorno (about 798 thousand).
