The Port System Authority of the Ionian Sea (AdSPMI) has identified cruise traffic as one of the strategic assets for the proactive growth of the port and the territory, a driving force for the consolidation of the “Taranto brand” among operators of the sector. In this perspective, the AdSP of the Ionian Sea is very committed to promoting and enhancing the port of Taranto as an access gate to the city and to the tourism chains of the Med area. The steadily growing numbers have made it possible to further consolidate the port’s cruise activities and to implement a common promotion and reception strategy with the other Public Administrations, for the enhancement of Taranto and of the Ionian province, starting from its greatest resource: the SEA.
Cruise traffic – which began in 2017 – saw the Anglo-Saxon shipping company in the sector, Thomson, (today, Marella Cruises) choose Taranto as a destination and confirming this choice for the following cruise seasons too.
In 2021, the Port of Taranto conquered a leading role in the Mediterranean passenger traffic. As a matter of fact, in April, the concession to Taranto Cruise Port was signed. Taranto Cruise Port is a new company set up by Port Operation Holding L.l.c. and Global Ports Melita Ltd societies, subsidiaries of Global Ports Holding Plc, the biggest independent cruise terminal operator worldwide. Taranto was launched around the world by GPH as a cruise destination with the slogan “A destination beyond your imagination”.
The port experienced a real exploit in relation to the passenger traffic, reporting 28 stopovers and more than 80,000 passengers handled, also thanks to the embarkation/disembarkation services provided for the first time in the port in collaboration with Taranto Cruise Port.
During the 2022 season, there was a consolidation of the growing trend, with the number of cruise calls reaching 54 and the cruise lines portfolio enriched by 9 companies: in addition to MSC cruises, Marella Cruises, Phoenix Reisen, Road Scholar, Noble Caledonia, Celebrity Cruises, P&O Cruises, Sea Cloud and TUI docked at the port of Taranto. Moreover, for the first time in 2022, two cruise ships also docked simultaneously on three occasions: on 11 May (MSC Splendida and Celebrity Constellation), on 16 May (Marella Explorer 2 and Noble Caledonia Monet), and on 8 June (MSC Splendida and Aegean Odyssey).
2022 was a year dotted with important achievements for the port of Taranto that won the coveted Destination of the Year title at the prestigious Seatrade Cruise Awards, held in Malaga during the Seatrade Cruise Europe international fair, and closed the season with more than 108,000 passengers handled. With the growing interest of international cruise companies, Taranto, the ancient capital of Magna Graecia, has established itself as a cultural destination of choice for sea travellers, as well as the starting point for the discovering of the Apulian hinterland and UNESCO sites, such as Alberobello and Matera.
CRUISE CALENDAR 2023 (download)
Significant news are expected for the 2023 cruise season. In fact, as announced in October 2022, this year, the Ionian city-port will inaugurate its partnership with Costa Cruises, which has chosen Taranto as the turnaround port, the only one in Italy together with Catania, for the Costa Pacifica ship, which will stop every Saturday at the S. Cataldo pier to embark and disembark international passengers as of 3 June. In addition to Costa Cruises, six shipping companies have included Taranto in their itineraries: Celebrity Cruises, Marella Cruises, Noble Caledonia, Norwegian Cruise Line, P&O Cruises, Sea Cloud, reaching a total of 40 planned landings. The Ionian cruise season will begin on 9 May with the call of the Celebrity Constellation and will end on 1 November with Norwegian Epic.
Two cruise ships at the same time will call in the following dates:
- 10 June: Costa Pacifica and Marella Explorer
- 2 September: Costa Pacifica and Marella Explorer
DEDICATED INFRASTRUCTURES
The port’s infrastructure assets dedicated to cruise berths include the quays of San Cataldo Pier: Western and Eastern Pier 1, Quay 1 and Quay 2. The highly competitive depths and dimensional features make these mooring points suitable for docking even the latest generation of cruise ships.
The territorial promotion action carried out by the AdSP in conjunction with the local public and private stakeholders, together with the forthcoming completion of the building of the Falanto Port Service Center, with the construction of the Port Exhibition Center and with the expansion of the “Sant’Eligio” tourist port, will allow to handle and develop cruise and tourist traffic in a more professional way.
This approach is rooted in the strategy implemented by the Authority to support the development of a new season of innovation, competitiveness and revitalisation of the area. The aim is to significantly contribute to the development of the local economy and of the cruise market related to the port of Taranto, in order to perfecting its brand as a tourist destination, to the benefit of the entire cultural and commercial chain of the Ionian arc connected to hospitality.
PARTNERSHIPS
Since 2014, the Port System Authority of the Ionian Sea has been part of MedCruise (Association of Mediterranean Cruise Ports), and since 2015 it has been a Gold Executive Partner of CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) with the purpose of:
- encouraging tourism and the cruise sector development;
- increasing the port’s role in international markets;
- gaining support from national and international stakeholders;
- strengthening the port’s competitive positioning of the port on the cruise market in Europe and in the world;
- making Taranto the ideal destination that meets the needs of cruise repeaters.
In 2021, the Port System Authority of the Ionian Sea joined the Board of Directors of MedCruise, thanks to the election of Silvia Coppolino, Head of the International Relations and Communication Section, during 56th General Assembly of the Association. The Board of Directors, headed by President Figen Ayan, chief officer of Galata Cruise Port, represents the governing body of the Association with the task of policy-making. The AdSPMI with Dr. Coppolino is responsible, in particular, for the task “Port & City Relationship”, which aims at facing the new challenges posed by the interaction between cruise tourism and the city to achieve a sustainable growth. In relation to the task, Dr. Silvia Coppolino is in charge of the working group “Cruises and Port Cities”, which was born from the joint action of the MedCruise and AIVP associations for the exchange of best practices among cruise port cities worldwide.
In order to promote cruise traffic, the AdSPMI participates in some industry events, such as:
- Seatrade Cruise Global
- Seatrade Cruise MED and Europe (biennial)
- CLIA Europe Conference
- CLIA Port & Destination Dialogue
- Italian Cruise Day
- MedCruise General Assembly
ITALIAN CRUISE DAY 2023 – appuntamento a Taranto il 27.10.2023
In 2023, the city of Taranto will host for the first time “Italian Cruise Day”, the forum on the cruise industry and tourism in Italy, conceived and organised by Risposte Turismo. The Italian Cruise Day event has been an inevitable appointment for cruise industry operators in Italy (tour operators, travel agents, shipowning companies, shipping agents, representatives of port entities and many others), since 2011. The Port System Authority and the Municipality of Taranto support the 2023 edition of the Italian Cruise Day initiative, thanks to which on 27 October, the leading representatives of the cruise world will gather in the Ionian city to take part in in-depth analysis moments on the dynamics of the sector, as well as in retraining and business networking sessions. As in previous editions, the forum will also present the new Italian Cruise Watch edition, the research report produced by Risposte Turismo containing the most up-to-date and relevant data on the cruise sector in Italy and forecasts for the year to come.
CRUISE SEASON CLOSING CEREMONY 2022
In order to celebrate a very successful year, on 9 November 2022, the AdSPMI, in collaboration with the regional tourism promotion agency, Pugliapromozione, the Municipality of Taranto and Taranto Cruise Port, organised the second edition of the Cruise Season Closing Ceremony, the closing event of the cruise season. On the occasion of the last call of the year of the MSC Splendida, Taranto port-city wanted to offer an unprecedented show to the passengers, crew and selected attendees, thanking and saying goodbye to 2023. Plays of lights and water fountains coloured the quay of the San Cataldo Pier, accompanying the rock soundtrack of the ceremony and offering a thrilling farewell to the majestic cruise ship on the occasion of its last call at the Ionian port.
EDUCATIONAL TOUR
With the aim of promoting cruise tourism, in April 2022, in conjunction with the BTM Puglia fair (Taranto, 6-8 April 2022), the AdSPMI organised Skuma Fam trip, a 4-day educational tour dedicated to journalists, cruise bloggers and cruise industry professionals of international calibre.
The tour, whose name recalls the “Skuma” mermaid represented by the work of art created by Francesco Trani, was attended by: Emilio Freeman, VP Itineraries and Destinations - Seadream Yacht Club, Michele Bosco Product Manager Shore Excursions MED, North Africa and Black Sea – Holland America Group, Raffaella Del Vecchio – Shore and Ground Coordinator - MEDOV, and cruise bloggers Giuseppe Virgilio e Rosalba Scarrone. Thanks to shots and posts, the story of the fam trip unravelled on the Instagram and Facebook pages of the cruise bloggers Sensational Cruises and Liveboat and in the online edition of the sector international magazine Cruise and Ferry.
> DOWNLOAD: #T/\RANTO for CRUISE LOVERS. Leaflet
TARANTO CRUISE PORT
President: Stephen Xuereb
General Manager: Raffaella Del Prete - Tel.+39 348 805 9408 - Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Michele Pastore, PFSO - Tel: +39 320 2834793 - Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.