Puglia, protagonist at the beginning of the month also thanks to the presence of the G7 in Borgo Egnazia, is certainly one of the most popular destinations in Italy
Bari – “2024 promises to be an excellent year for our system authority, as far as cruises are concerned. Still not the best, which will probably be that of 2025. In terms of ports, it will surpass 2019, thus resuming that general growth perspective that had already been promoted in the past”.
Ugo Patroni Griffipresident of the Port System Authority of the Southern Adriatic Sea, encloses in this photograph the 2024 season of the ports of Bari, Toasts e Monopoly. “The ship itself is certainly an indicator, but let’s also clarify the numbers: we are recording large influxes of traffic, because cruises are experiencing a moment of great growth in terms of commercial proposal. The ships are full, there are many new units in the water, and they are increasingly larger. The share of passengers embarking in Bari and Brindisi has grown, and in these terms it will be the best cruise season ever, compared to transits”.
Puglia, protagonist at the beginning of the month also thanks to the presence of the G7 in Borgo Egnazia, is certainly one of the most popular destinations in Italy. A process of growth of the regional tourist offer that began many years ago, and which has also been able to position Puglia in the cruise sector.
“The Apulian ports are perceived as high-class places, where it is also possible to enjoy transit, and are not just logistical hubs for getting on or off board. Tourism has changed and so do the places of use, and clearly the cruise passenger wants to have a rounded travel experience. The port of Monopoli also continues to record notable performances, also considering the segment and the dimensions of the basin which are more suitable for the world of superyachts. If once the numbers were low, today we are witnessing a multiplication of these units. They also represent a wide-ranging economic driver for the territories, because they aim for high-level quality and therefore require assistance and services suited to the context”.
The offer for the reception of the ASP of the southern Adriatic Sea is refined to the requests of the sector, and therefore “We have increased our capabilities, and we are starting to glimpse the walls of the new cruise terminal and the new spaces dedicated to guests on board ”, underlines Patroni Griffi. “The port begins to take on a larger market segment, and the interest of a giant like MSC in passenger services represents an excellent signal. Our ports of call have grown over time, but we are only at the beginning. The numbers tend to rise and become important, and the southern Adriatic ports are now a consolidated reality, also due to the territory’s ability to open up to a totally renewed dimension of tourism”.
Construction sites for green ports
Projects regarding the electrification of the docks are also continuing, one of the large and complex “green” works for passenger ports. “We have unlocked the start of the procedure in Bari and Brindisi for cold-ironing also thanks to the intervention of Minister Fitto, and I think that we have worked really well with the network of national and territorial institutions, the relationship is at the highest levels. The ability to relate with the Puglia region has allowed us to move with more determination and diligence for the creation of the connecting infrastructures between the ports and airports present in the area, also encouraging an exchange of data to arrive, in the future, at a single customs circuit that facilitates the arrival of tourists and subsequent boarding”.
The complex coexistence between port and city is one of the issues that all the mayors and presidents of system authorities in Italy have on the table, and it couldn’t be otherwise. Increasingly larger and more sophisticated ships, which engage the territories on different levels. “But we also work on this, and the relationship between the airport and the community is changing. In Bari there is a university master’s degree on this very topic, also in terms of sustainable development, because it is necessary for there to be an exchange and common growth”.
