PORT OF TARANTO, 29 OCTOBER 2021 - Massive turnout in Savona for the 2021 edition of Italian Cruise Days. The event - conceived and promoted by Risposte Turismo - has represented, for many years now, the Home of Italian Cruise Ports and is a prestigious international showcase dedicated to promoting Italian cruise tourism, by organising meetings and discussions between the main players in the new landscape of cruise tourism in Italy.

The Port System Authority of the Ionian Sea - Port of Taranto is one of the ports of call that have joined the 2021 edition and is also one of those that have recorded the most significant results in the national cruise market, less than a year after the resumption of activities and exploit seen in 2021. The current year has seen the port of Taranto play a leading role in Mediterranean passenger traffic, thanks also to the concession signed last May with Taranto Cruise Port - controlled by Global Ports Holding Plc, the largest independent cruise terminal operator.

During the presentation of the Italian Cruise Watch 2021, destination Taranto was, in fact, listed in the top 10 Italian ports for number of passengers (for Taranto, projections indicate a total of 28 calls for 89,579 passengers, including homeports), as well as in the top 20 Mediterranean ports (ranking 18th).

These exciting goals, in addition to being a source of pride for the results achieved by the port in recent years, are a positive preview of the Port of Taranto's 2022 cruise season, which is expected to be very successful with 8 cruise lines already confirmed. The partnership started with MSC Cruises in the 2021 cruise season will continue also in the next year and until 2023, with new calls from the majestic MSC cruise ships in addition to the other 4 cruise lines confirmed to date.

Taranto "a destination beyond your imagination" was also the star of the meetings of "La Casa dei Porti Crocieristici Italiani" (The Home of Italian Cruise Ports) thanks to the presentations on the destination by the Secretary General of the Port System Authority of the Ionian Sea, Roberto Settembrini, and the General Manager of Taranto Cruise Port, Antonio Di Monte.

During today's event - also attended by the Minister for Tourism, Massimo Garavaglia - Taranto was also announced as the location for the next edition of the Italian Cruise Days, an event which, in 2023, will represent a significant opportunity for international recognition and relaunch for the entire Ionian port city and which will see the Port System Authority working with the Municipal Administration to ensure the success of the initiative.

“For destination Taranto," says Sergio Prete, President of the Port System Authority of the Ionian Sea, "today is a very important day that the Authority has been looking forward to for years. The results and figures achieved by the port of Taranto - thanks both to a precise strategy aimed at diversifying traffic and to the constant and profitable synergic collaboration with the Municipality of Taranto - finally mean that we can present ourselves to the international audience of the cruise sector as a destination of excellence which is also attracting increasing interest from the main players in the cruise industry. Being able to host the next edition of the Italian Cruise Days in Taranto will allow the city to further enhance its image and the many attractions that make it a unique destination in the Med area".

When we imagined bringing the sea back to the centre of the city's economy," commented Mayor of Taranto, Rinaldo Melucci, "we gave cruises a driving, symbolic role. Our city had a stifled vocation and we needed a breakthrough that would reopen that front and allow us to attract back the attention of a sector which, as today's figures show, had a promising margin for growth. The port of Taranto, therefore, is once again a reference point in the Mediterranean and hosting the next edition of the Italian Cruise Days will seal this role. It offers us a great opportunity: to experience a different economic model, more inclusive and respectful of the territory. We will continue on this path, confirming the synergy with the Authority that has allowed us to get this far.”