By
Rebecca Gibson |
Risposte Turismo and the Central Adriatic Ports Authority launched a new Adriatic Sea Tourism Agenda platform at the Adriatic Sea Forum, which was held in Ancona, Italy from 30-31 May 2019.
The Adriatic Sea Tourism Agenda is an open platform that enables cruise operators, ferry companies and others in the marine industry to share ideas, solutions and initiatives to better promote sea tourism in the Adriatic region. It will be used to develop a strategy for joint promotion initiatives, plan actions to protect and conserve environmental resources, identify ways to increase the region’s competitive position in the international tourism market, and much more.
Participants have already agreed to develop a tool to enable cruise operators to quickly assess the availability of berths in the Adriatic ports, as well as a strategy to promote ferry travel as a key element of the overall vacation experience, rather than just a mode of transport.
“Adriatic Sea Tourism Agenda aims to be a tool for comparison, sharing and creation for all those who believe in the potential of maritime tourism in the area and want to take an active part in its future growth, sustainable and respectful of the territories and communities that live in them,” said Francesco di Cesare, president of Risposte Turismo. “Our hope is that this initiative will lead to the realisation of concrete projects in the future. As Risposte Turismo, we will continue to study the phenomenon, carrying out in-depth studies into its characteristics and evolutions, to contribute to its discovery and, at the same time, be a support for all the realities involved in it.”
On the final day of the Adriatic Sea Forum, multiple Italian and Croatian organisations signed a memorandum of agreement for the Remember project, which aims to enhance and promote the cultural heritage of the Adriatic region. Italian signatories included the Central Adriatic Ports Authority, Marche Polytechnic University Dicea-Construction, Civil Engineering and Architecture Department and the authorities responsible for managing the Italian ports of Ravenna, Venice and Trieste. Meanwhile, Croatian partners included Zadar National Museum, Split and Dalmatia Development Agency, and the port authorities of both Dubrovnik and Zadar.
Project partners will work together to develop tourist routes and other initiatives that are primarily targeted at the cruise industry.
“The project has a strong innovative dimension – it will allow to set up eight virtual museums in the ports of Ancona, Ravenna, Venice, Trieste, Fiume, Zara, Split, Dubrovnik,” said Rodolfo Giampieri, president of the Central Adriatic Ports Authority, the leader of the project. “It’s also a coordinated initiative to promote a shared approach to tourist diversification of passenger and cruise flows, and to preserve and promote the awareness and attractiveness of Adriatic ports.”