Adriatic Sea Forum – Cruise, Ferry, Sail & Yacht, for the first time in Ravenna, 24-25 October 2024

The curtain is set to rise on the seventh edition of Adriatic Sea Forum – Cruise, Ferry, Sail & Yacht, an itinerant international event dedicated to maritime tourism in the Adriatic, devised and organised by Risposte Turismo, this year in partnership with the Port of Ravenna Authority, scheduled to take place in Ravenna on Thursday 24 and Friday 25 October 2024.

The two-day forum – since 2013, a key event for all operators in the cruise, ferry, sailing and yachting sectors – will be held in the splendid setting of the Dante Alighieri Theatre and Palazzo Rasponi dalle Teste.

“Once again this year, it is a pleasure to meet everyone involved in maritime tourism, in one of the most representative cities for the sector such as Ravenna”, said Risposte Turismo President Francesco di Cesare. “The seventh edition of the Adriatic Sea Forum,” di Cesare continued, “will once again offer an opportunity for all the operators in the cruise, ferry, sailing and yachting sector to extend their knowledge of tourism phenomena in the area and form new professional connections or strengthen existing relationships, as well as promote their own activities and projects. The aim of this forum for encounters, debate and further study is to foster the sharing of ideas, facilitate the development of new projects and launch shared strategies and collaborations among operators”.

“The port of Ravenna is investing 100 million euros in projects linked to the ecological transition and the environmental sustainability of the port activities in the local area,” explained Daniele Rossi, President of the Port of Ravenna Authority. “Linked to this vision,” Rossi continued, “are the creation of a cold ironing system that runs on green energy, incentives for moving towards the use of more sustainable vehicles and equipment on the quay, the Parco delle Dune project to turn an area near the passenger terminal into a green area, the construction of a new, high-tech, eco-sustainable maritime station and a large photovoltaic park, a strong drive towards digitalisation and support for a series of private investments that will make the port of Ravenna the energy hub of Italy. This is why I believe it is important to discuss these issues, which are the real challenge we have to rise to today, and the Adriatic Sea Forum – Cruise Ferry Sail & Yacht offers a valuable opportunity to share the experiences of the ports in the Adriatic,” concludes Rossi.

The themes of the second edition of the forum

The numerous roundtables, speeches and presentations that will be featured in the seventh edition of Adriatic Sea Forum – Cruise, Ferry, Sail & Yacht will once again offer an opportunity to analyse the challenges facing maritime tourism in the Adriatic, including the use of alternative fuels to make sea traffic more sustainable, the impact of public projects and policies on maritime tourism in the Adriatic, the sustainability of ports and cruise terminals and how to integrate them into the fabric of the local area, the possibility of extending the tourism season and maintaining a high flow of maritime tourists throughout the year, and the value of cruises aboard small-medium ships in this stretch of sea.Among the other key themes in the forum will be the new itineraries and destinations for nautical tourism in the Adriatic, the possible competition between ferries and air travel, and the appeal of the maritime tourism segment in the Adriatic for new professionals in the sector.

Expectation surrounding the new edition of the Adriatic Sea Tourism Report

This year, the Adriatic Sea Forum will also be hosting the presentation of the new edition of the Adriatic Sea Tourism Report, documenting the research conducted by Risposte Turismo on maritime tourism in the Adriatic area.

The early indications are that 2023 ended with record figures for ferry traffic in the Adriatic, with more than 20 million passenger movements, up 14% on 2022. Cruise traffic also rose compared to the previous year, with 4.6 million cruise passenger movements, up 32% on 2022, thanks to more than 3000 calls.

In the ferry and hydrofoil segment, last year’s ranking was topped by Split (with almost 5.5 million passengers, a rise of 12% compared to 2022), followed by Igoumenitsa (approx. 3 million, up 21% on 2022) and Zadar (more than 2.5 million passengers, up 5% on 2022).

As regards cruises, Venice regained a place on the podium last year in terms of the number of tourists through the port (more than 507,000, a rise of 110%), behind Corfù (more than 667 thousand, up 27% on 2022) and Dubrovnik (more than 526,000, up 40% on 2022). Ravenna, which will be hosting the seventh edition of the forum, came in at number eight in the ranking last year, with more than 330,000 cruise passenger movements and a hundred or so calls that earned it a rise of 10 positions in the cruise ports ranking compared to 2019.

The Risposte Turismo researchers noted a further rise in nautical tourism in 2023, evident in the study conducted on a sample of charter operators, seven out of ten of which reported an increase in customers, and marinas, for 98% of which customer numbers either rose (38%) or remained stable (60%).

“The distinctive feature of the monitoring we carry out on maritime tourism in the Adriatic is that it combines an analysis of the three fundamental elements of maritime tourism dynamics: cruises, ferries and sailing and yachting”, explains di Cesare. “This integrated approach allows us to show that 2023 was a year to remember, and indeed to celebrate from a number of points of view, thanks to the strong recovery of the cruise sector, a healthy nautical tourism sector and a new record for ferry passenger numbers. It is not difficult to imagine the benefits not only for the destinations themselves, but also for all the production and maritime tourism chains involved”.

The 2024 edition of the forum will be held in collaboration with the Municipality of Ravenna and the Chamber of Commerce of Ferrara and Ravenna, is energized by Edison and Bassani Group as main sponsor and with the contribution of Ravenna Civitas Cruise Port. The Adriatic Sea Forum – Cruise, Ferry, Sail & Yacht will be held under the patronage of the European Commission and the Ministry of Infrastructures and Transport.

The article Adriatic Sea Forum – Cruise, Ferry, Sail & Yacht, for the first time in Ravenna, 24-25 October 2024 first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.