7 6 Making a comeback Alex Smith reports from the 2022 edition of Seatrade Cruise Med, hosted in Malaga, Spain, as it returned after a four-year hiatus For ports around the Mediterranean, 2022 has been a vitally important year in their recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic therefore continued to loom large in discussions in this year’s Seatrade Cruise Med, which was returning after a four-year hiatus, but there were many reasons for positivity as ports shared their continuing commitment to the industry. The conference opened with addresses from Figen Ayan, president of the MedCruise port association, and Pierfrancesco Vago, global chairman of Cruise Lines International Association and executive chairman of MSC Group’s cruise division. Ayan struck an optimistic tone, highlighting the appeal of the region’s history to cruise guests and the fact that there were only two months during the pandemic in which no cruise calls were made in the region. Vago similarly emphasised reasons for a positive outlook on the return of cruising to the region. “Our ships are continuing to sail throughout the Mediterranean in what has been a great summer,” he said. “Our research shows that 84 per cent of cruisers want to cruise again, while 67 per cent of non-cruisers are open to cruising. Both indicators are now higher than they were before the pandemic, which demonstrates the rise in consumer confidence as our recovery has gained momentum.” Alongside the conference programme, the presentation of the Seatrade Cruise Awards was held at the show, seeing Galataport Istanbul named as Port of the Year, the Port of Taranto receiving the award of Destination of the Year, while the work of former director of Cruise Baltic Claus Bødker was recognised with the Seatrade Outstanding Achievement Award. Meanwhile, ports and cruise industry partners were sharing a wide range of new initiatives with attendees on the exhibition floor. Among the presentations was the reveal of a new partnership between Intercruises Shoreside & Ports Services and National Geographic Expeditions, who launched a new range of shore excursions named National Geographic Day Tours. The excursions will be available for small groups of around eight to 25 in Mediterranean destinations including Athens, Rome and Marseille. Global Ports Holding presented its new plans for a 14,400-square-metre terminal built from recycled materials REPORT Cruise line and port association executives shared their thoughts on the state of the Mediterranean cruise industry in Seatrade Cruise Med’s opening session
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