By
Laura Hyde |
The Mediterranean was the second largest cruise market in the world in 2023, according to data shared by MedCruise at Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami, Florida, this week.
Speaking during a ‘Trends in the Med’ conference sessions, MedCruise president Figen Ayan discussed cruise trends specific to the Mediterranean and its surrounding regions: the Canary Islands, transatlantic and Red Sea.
Ayan noted the Mediterranean and its adjoining seas captured 21.5 per cent of the market share, with ports in the region welcoming more than seven million passengers, a return to pre-pandemic levels. In fact, 2023 saw an almost eight per cent increase in cruise calls compared to 2019.
Also at Seatrade, MedCruise’s Valeria Mangiarotti, technical environmental solutions director, and Jamil Ouazzani, ecosystems, sustainability, wildlife and biodiversity director, shared a presentation on the findings of the survey on Mediterranean port sustainability. The survey, which includes data from 51 Mediterranean ports, found 29 per cent of respondents currently have shore power connection for cruise ships, with 94 per cent of non-providers expressing readiness to offer shore power before the International Maritime Organization’s 2030 carbon emission reduction target. Additionally, 27 per cent of these ports offer LNG bunkering and 81 per cent intend to provide this service by 2030.
Almost all MedCruise ports – 92 per cent – are actively mitigating carbon emissions, while 57 per cent have monitoring initiatives aimed at safeguarding terrestrial and marine biodiversity.
Read the full MedCruise Statistics Report.