A forum with 12 events that the entire Adriatic maritime tourism chain is expected to attend
In 2022, according to the latest edition of the Adriatic Sea Tourism Report, in the Adriatic:
- Cruises: 3.3 million passenger movements (+232% vs 2021)
- Ferries and hydrofoils: approx. 18 million passengers handled (+26% vs 2021) with Bari as top call on the Adriatic for international routes
- Nautical tourism: for the Adriatic, 337 structures for almost 80,000 moorings (79.171)
Welcome to the fifth edition of Adriatic Sea Forum – Cruise, Ferry, Sail & Yacht, the traveling international event dedicated to maritime tourism in the Adriatic, devised by Risposte Turismo, this year in partnership with the Southern Adriatic Sea Port Authority and with Pugliapromozione, that it shall take place in Bari on Thursday 6 and Friday 7 October, 2022.
Launched in 2013, the forum will see the participation of players in the cruise, ferry and nautical sectors from the seven countries flanking the Adriatic (Italy, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro, and Slovenia).
An area with a marked vocation for tourism by sea, with its more than 150 tourist destinations located in 25 regions.
Operators are expected at the Cruise Terminal in Puglia’s capital city this year − including representatives of shipowning companies, shipping agents, port terminals, tour operators, travel agencies, marinas and small harbours, nautical charter companies, shipyards etc. − for two days of business networking, and discussion and debate on the area’s potentials and challenges.
“The latest edition of the Adriatic Sea Forum therefore comes at a particularly significant time for this sector, in which the challenge, even more than in the past, hinges on our ability to attract demand, and therefore tourists, to the area of the Adriatic” – states Francesco di Cesare, President of Risposte Turismo. “Over the two days of the forum, we’ll tackle a number of issues and questions to operators and the representatives of governing bodies, in order to understand what the future trajectories of development may be for these sectors in the Adriatic. We shall consider intentions, projects, programmes and needs that should emerge in the near future, characterising the dynamics and enabling achievement of new and increasingly ambitious results.”
“It’s countdown to a much-awaited event for the ports sector” comments the president of the Southern Adriatic Sea Port Authority, Ugo Patroni Griffi. “During the busy two days of work, with the valuable contributions of stakeholders and the key protagonists of international shipping and cruising, we will work toward profiling upcoming trends, with the aim of adjusting the supply-side to an increasingly demanding and complex marketplace. We will also devote ample space to environmental protection strategies. Moreover, we must urgently seek a sure route toward sustainability. Maritime transport, a link in a transnational logistics chain − of which ports, the shipbuilding and shipping industry, through to the public and private financial sectors, are also part − must use innovation to transform itself, experimenting with, and pinpointing, effective alternatives for shipping. Non-traditional sources of energy and fuels, such as biofuels, batteries, hydrogen or ammonia can decarbonize the sector and reduce emissions to zero”. Patroni Griffi concludes “The sector is more aware than ever that it must urgently commit to augmenting efforts to reduce its footprint. It must aim for greater environmental, economic and social sustainability”.
“Tourism in Puglia is booming, also beyond the two ‘classic’ summer months. On this context of increasing deseasonalization, Pugliapromozione is betting on several activities – part of a busy end-of-2022 agenda – among which there is the Adriatic Sea Forum” says Luca Scandale, general manager of Pugliapromozione. “With this key event, the aim is to bolster collaboration with the Southern Adriatic Sea Port Authority, with which we have already been working for years, hosting tourists and cultural initiatives such as the upcoming unique silos project in Bari by artist Guido Van Helten. Pugliapromozione, indeed, is devoting more and more attention to the nautical and cruise segments, with systemic actions to promote this sea destination as a year-round port of call. The Forum, within this framework, is an occasion for synthesis and for encounters with top-level players in the Adriatic area. This will most definitely aid us in developing new synergic relations dedicated to maritime tourism.”
Maritime tourism in the Adriatic – facts and figures
After introductory addresses by Michele Emiliano − President of the Puglia Region, Antonio Decaro − Mayor of Bari − and Rear Admiral Vincenzo Leone − Maritime Director of Puglia and Ionian Basilicata −, the forum will open with an introductory speech by Ugo Patroni Griffi − President of the Southern Adriatic Sea Port Authority.
This will be followed by Francesco di Cesare − President of Risposte Turismo – who will present the main results of the new edition of Adriatic Sea Tourism Report, the research report published by Risposte Turismo, which, since 2013, has analysed the flows, size, nature and directions of tourism movements by sea in the Adriatic.
While awaiting the forecasts for 2023, which will be announced on the opening day of the forum, Risposte Turismo has provided a ‘sneak peek’ at the closing projections for 2022.
Regarding cruise traffic, 3.3 million cruise passengers are expected to be handled (embarking, disembarking and transiting) in the Adriatic by the end of the year, up 232% vs 2021 thanks to 2,936 cruise ship calls (+195% vs 2021).
We must note, however, that – although the current year is expected to close with a doubling of cruise traffic compared to the previous year – this result is little more than half of that for 2019, before the outbreak of the pandemic (5.7 million passengers handled).
The podium of the 2022 ranking sees Corfu in first place with more than half a million passengers expected and 411 cruise calls, ahead of Kotor (400,000 passengers handled and 440 calls) and Trieste (380,000 passengers handled and 230 calls).
Nationally speaking, the forecast for the year-end sees Italy confirmed in first place in terms of numbers of passengers handled (1.36 million, or 40 percent of the total), ahead of Croatia (900,000 passengers) and Greece (560,000 passengers).
Croatia, on the other hand, will notch up the highest number of calls at the end of 2022 (995), ahead of Italy (927) and Montenegro (453).
As for the ferries and hydrofoils segment, the first numbers of Adriatic Sea Tourism Report show, at the end of 2022, almost 18 million passengers handled in Adriatic ports (+26% vs 2021 and a result close to 20 million – record-breaking numbers – noted in 2019).
At the close of 2022, Bari will figure as the top port in the Adriatic in terms of passengers handled on international routes (almost 800,000), ahead of Durres and Ancona, which will compete for second place with about 690,000 passengers handled. It should be noted that for all three ports, ferry handling is 100% international.
Turning lastly to the nautical sector, according to data compiled by Risposte Turismo in 2022, on the Adriatic 337 structures are active for almost 80,000 moorings (79,171). Italy maintains its leadership positioning in nautical tourism thanks to 189 active facilities (56% of the marinas in the area, for a total of 49,000 moorings, and 62% of the total), ahead of Croatia (126 facilities for almost 21,000 moorings) and Montenegro (8 facilities for 3,545 moorings).
Despite the difficulties of the pandemic period, nautical tourism in the Adriatic displays overall growth in numbers of marinas, tourist ports and moorings in the four-year period 2019–2022. In this period, indeed, 8 new nautical facilities were opened (three in Croatia, two in Italy and Montenegro, and one in Greece), for a total of 4,000 new moorings.
“Despite the uncertainties weighing on the international context – continues di Cesare – tourism has shown clear signs of recovery in this 2022. Maritime tourism, with its components, stands out for its dynamism. In recent months, our research work has documented marked acceleration on the investment front. The nautical, ferry and cruise supply-side, on the ports and marinas front, and on that of shipping companies, is gradually raising the level of quality, with much attention paid also to environmental protection”.
The agenda of proceedings and topics addressed
As always, the programme of the forum covers a lot of ground, with 12 events, including round tables, speeches and presentations, plus more than 50 international speakers representing the entire Adriatic maritime-tourism supply chain.
Among the main topics covered we have Adriatic maritime tourists profiling, strategies that operators and territories can adopt to intercept their needs and meet their expectations, the potentials of the ferry segment that are not fully expressed as yet, challenges for local operators, prospects for LNG and electric power supply, the state-of-the-art for infrastructures in the Adriatic area, and investments planned for the coming years.
The forum will conclude with a plenary round table dedicated to the future of maritime tourism in Puglia, which is one of the most valid protagonists in the Mediterranean in this sector.
Different players from the cruise, ferry and nautical world will animate the forum with their contributions. Among these, to name only a few, Figen Ayan – President of MedCruise; Elisabetta De Nardo – VP, Port Development, MSC Cruises; Massimo Di Giacomo – CEO, Anek Lines Italia; Dorijan Dujmic – Managing Partner, BWA Croatia; Rodolfo Giampieri – President, Assoporti; Alberto Gotti, Marine Europe Director, ECOLAB; Beniamino Maltese – Executive Vice President & CFO, Costa Group; Mihailo Vukic – CEO Allegra Port & Yacht Agent; Andreas Nüssel – Managing Director Europe, Silversea; Filippo Olivetti – CEO, Bassani Group; Kristijan Pavic – CEO, ACI Marinas; Roberto Perocchio – President, Assomarinas; and Ervin Ibrahimovic – the Montenegrin investments Minister.
The forum shall also provide an opportunity to learn about FRAMESPORT, SUSPORT and TECHERA: European interregional cooperation projects active in the Adriatic area, which shall be presented in Bari.
Booking is required to participate in Adriatic Sea Forum, which will be held in English with Italian translation.
The main sponsor of the event is Bassani Group. ECOLAB and MedCruise are sponsors. Supporting the event is Bari’s Chamber of Commerce.
The event is also held under the auspices of the Italian Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Sustainable Infrastructure and Mobility.
The full programme and notes on how to participate are available at adriaticseaforum.com and on the Twitter and LinkedIn pages.
