By
Laura Hyde |
Almost five million cruise passenger movements are expected in the Adriatic by the end of 2024, according to Risposte Turismo’s latest Adriatic Sea Tourism Report, which will be released at the seventh edition of Adriatic Sea Forum – Cruise, Ferry, Sail & Yacht.
The two-day event, organised by Risposte Turismo, will take place in Ravenna in northern Italy on 24-25 October 2024 and will feature over 40 speakers discussing the latest trends and challenges for the region.
The event will open with a presentation of the 2024 Adriatic Sea Tourism Report, which analyses the current and future state of sea tourism in the Adriatic. Total passenger movements (embarking, disembarking and transit) in the region are set to exceed 37 million by the end of the year, with 4.9 million from cruises, which is a 6.7 per cent increase on 2023. While cruise passenger numbers have remained stable (4.8 million in 2015 compared with 4.9 million in 2024), the concentration of cruise traffic has changed significantly with the top three ports (Venice in Italy, Dubrovnik in Croatia and Corfu, Greece) in 2015 now accounting for just 38 per cent of cruise traffic. The presentation will also include initial forecasts for 2025.
Other discussions at the event will focus on sustainable alternative fuels, new routes and destinations, off-season tourism, cruise tourism, the value of cruises on small-to-medium ships, career opportunities, and more.
Confirmed speakers include Alessandra Priante, president of ENIT - Italian National Tourism Agency; Pavle Tripković, secretary of state to the ministry of transport and maritime affairs of the government of Montenegro; Christoph Schladör, vice president of decarbonisation at Carnival Maritime; Leonardo Massa, vice president of Southern Europe for MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys; Georgios Vagiannis, newbuild director for TUI Cruises; Ana Karina Santini, assistant vice president of international destination development at Royal Caribbean Group; and Sylviane De Tracy, director of cruise research and development at Ponant.
“We are pleased to bring the Adriatic Sea Forum – Cruise Ferry Sail & Yacht for the first time to Ravenna, a city that in recent years has made significant investments indicative of its desire to also focus on sea tourism, as a driver for growth,” said Francesco di Cesare, president of Risposte Turismo. “The seventh edition of the forum will once again offer an important opportunity for learning and engagement, involving all the operators in the cruise, ferry and nautical sectors interested in finding out more about the current situation, trends and prospects for maritime tourism in the area.”