“The port of Bari welcomed MSC Armonia, one of the protagonist ships of MSC Crociere’s record year”, we read in a note, which has planned weekly cruises departing from the Apulian capital for the first time also during the winter season. “It’s about a revolution in the Company’s tourist season in Bariwhich will no longer be limited to the summer months but will lead to the arrival of cruise passengers every week for 12 months of the year, with a consequent economic and employment impact”. Thanks to this cruise planning, which provides 73 stopovers in Bari, the company’s ships MSC they will move over 200 thousand cruise passengers.
To celebrate the arrival of Msc Armonia in the port of Bari on board the shipthe maritime ceremony of “maiden call” in the presence of the main city authorities and institutions, representatives of the maritime sector, welcomed by the commander of the ship, Pietro Scarpato. Among the authorities present was the admiral Vincenzo Leonemaritime director of Puglia and Ionian Basilicata and commander of the port of Bari, Tito Vespasianigeneral secretary of the Southern Adriatic Sea Port System Authority, Carla Palonemunicipal councilor for the Productive City and the Sea, as well as other institutional representatives of the port of Bari.
“Also considering the strong growth of MSC cruises in Brindisi with 33 calls, Puglia confirms itself as a strategic region with 106 stopovers (73 in Bari and 33 in Brindisi) e almost 280 thousand cruise passengers handled in 2024”. The general secretary ofPort System Authority of the Southern Adriatic Sea, Tito Vespasiani commented on the brilliant results: “Msc consolidate and strengthen on Bari come on Toasts its presence and this makes us proud and encourages us to continue the infrastructure work of our ports, to make them increasingly high-performance and futuristic”.
“Today is a historic day for MSC Cruises, because we are inaugurating in Bari a season that will not end at the end of the summer but will continue for 12 months of the year” – explains Beppe Lupelliarea manager of MSC Cruises – A new step towards the deseasonalization of holidays in the Mediterranean, with an unmissable new winter itinerary that every week from Bari will take guests to the eastern side of the Mare Nostrum up to Istanbul. We can say that we are back to stay, because from now on our ships they will never leave Bari again. We are sure that our choice will contribute to giving an important boost to winter tourism throughout the territory, as has already happened in other cities overlooking the Tyrrhenian side“.
Beyond Msc Armonia which will leave Bari in the evening to head towards Venice-Marghera, Dubrovnik (Croatia), Kotor (Montenegro), Corfu (Greece) and Zakynthos (Greece), before returning to Bari on Sunday next week. The ship will repeat this same itinerary until mid-October. They will arrive in Bari in the next few weeks Also Msc Opera And Msc Splendida who will propose exciting weekly itineraries to discover the most evocative destinations in the eastern Mediterranean. At the end of the summer season, the 3 units will make way for Msc Sinfoniawhich will sail from Bari throughout the winter every Saturday towards Greece and Turkey, with stops in Katakolon (Olympia), Athens, Kusadasi, Istanbul and then return to the Adriatic first in Trieste and then in Bari the following Sunday ready to repeat the itinerary with new guests on board.
MSC had communicated “with regret” since September 2022 (diplomatic editor’s note) that, as part of the planning for the next summer season, i.e. 2023 “Unfortunately, it is not currently possible to include Taranto in your itineraries. This is due to the decrease in the number of ships available in the Mediterranean, which does not allow access to some ports visited in recent years, including Taranto“. Ships that turned out to be available but MSC preferred the better equipped ports of Bari and Brindisi, cities which also benefit from the presence of two airports.
Therefore the triumphal comment of the mayor of Taranto Rinaldo Melucci was of no use who extolled that “The Seatrade Cruise Award 2022, the most prestigious recognition in the European cruise sector, has won it Taranto. We are destination of the yearwe beat Dubrovnik and the Cruise Britain network, a success for the city and our entire hospitality system.” comments on the recognition to the city of the two seas, as the best destination for cruise ships of 2021, awarded yesterday to Malaga by “Seatrade Cruise Med” of Malaga, yet another “paper” recognition that is not supported by facts. Yet another “flop” of the pairing formed by Rinaldo Melucci (mayor) e Sergio Prete (president) of the Port System Authority of the Ionian Sea.
It was March 2, 2021 when Melucci and Prete declared: “The renewed territorial promotion, the strengthened offer of services and events, and in general a complex administrative planning of the Municipality of Taranto are bearing the first significant fruits – he stated Rinaldo Melucci to the press announcement of the Swiss company -. Taranto has become attractive again for the international market and we are sure that together with all the local stakeholders we will do a great job to ensure the full satisfaction of operators and visitors, of this company as well as the others already expected in Taranto for summer 2021. It is one of the crucial challenges we have to consolidate a alternative and sustainable development model, today is a very important day for Taranto“. Mayor Melucci’s usual chatter.
To which was added the President of the Port Authority Sergio Prete: “The confirmation of the inclusion of the port of Taranto in the Mediterranean itinerary of the “MSC Seaside” this is wonderful news. In 2017 I had the privilege and pleasure of being invited to the official launching ceremony of the ship in Monfalcone. I thank the Aponte family and CEO Pierfrancesco Vago for choosing Taranto and its port. The recent path undertaken by the Ionian port towards the diversification of functions and the development of cruise activity is producing important results, thanks to the strong synergy with the Municipality of Taranto and the port cluster, as well as the infrastructure and marketing investments“.
Triumphalistic statements contradicted by facts over time. While Bari and Brindisi are booming, Taranto stands by and watches. AND Melucci And Priest they can no longer make triumphalistic statements. They remain silent, which is perhaps better!
