PALERMO (ITALPRESS) – Fifty years as an important reference for the city and not only for what concerns the sea: the golden wedding between Assonautica and Palermo, celebrated at the Palermo-Enna Chamber of Commerce, are an occasion for celebration but even more for discussion on future opportunities. The goal is to consolidate the presence of the port as a reference for tourists and stakeholders, but also to be ready for the challenge of digitalization.
The event was attended by the president of Assonautica Palermo Andrea Ciulla, the president of the Palermo-Enna Chamber of Commerce Alessandro Albanese, the regional councilor for Productive Activities Edy Tamajo and the councilors of the Municipality of Palermo Brigida Alaimo (Budget) and Pietro Alongi (Environmental Policies and Ecological Transition); in addition, the national president of Assonautica Giovanni Acampora participated via video link.
In reiterating the importance of having reached an important milestone for a history born on July 1, 1974, Ciulla emphasizes how “Assonautica is a real system, which has grown over time with many new features: future prospects require an Assonautica well placed in institutional relations, we are focusing above all on nautical tourism and tourist ports. There are many challenges and the activities that we will carry forward will be in the wake of our long tradition”.
Acampora claims that even at a national level “Assonautica is working tirelessly to confirm its national maritime identity and a centrality for the country’s economy: we are at the forefront alongside Minister Musumeci to reaffirm the centrality of the sea and improve attractiveness not only for tourists, but also for stakeholders”.
Albanese, who was president of Assonautica from 2018 to 2020, highlights how “I have an excellent relationship with the association, which has always been a point of reference for the territory and an offshoot of the Chamber of Commerce. There is everything behind recreational boating: commerce, craftsmanship, industry, shipbuilding”. The president of the Palermo-Enna Chamber of Commerce then focuses on the need for the association to follow “the direction of digital, because it is fundamental for tourist ports: we want to systematize all the Sicilian tourist ports through a special portal, so that those who arrive can find all the possible services”.
Tamajo, who on this occasion confirmed that he wants to keep the role of councilor for Productive Activities until the end of his mandate, explains how “our attention to the nautical world is important, I am always open to any dialogue: we want to take Sicilian companies abroad, to attack the markets and have better opportunities than those that have existed so far”.
Expanding the scope to other planned investments, Tamajo explains, “we still have 1.2 billion to spend between Po-Fesr 2021-27 and the Development and Cohesion Fund. In addition, we will make resources available for new industrial and artisanal areas: we want a Sicily that has the same opportunities as the northern regions”.
Alongi and Alaimo focus on two strategic points of Palermo for tourist ports but urgently needing to be redeveloped: the South Coast and the former Arenella chemical plant. As for the first, the Forza Italia representative explains, “we want to build the small port in the Bandita area by 2027, with one hundred spaces for boats planned inside: this city has a first-rate maritime vocation and a coast that guarantees tourist wealth and environmental beauty, the Municipality is aware that to become a window onto the Mediterranean, certain patterns must be overcome”. Speaking of the second, the Councillor for the Budget highlights how “the situation is dramatic and the intervention of the municipal administration alone cannot be enough to remedy it. The deadline for submitting redevelopment projects within a European call for tenders is 11 July: we wanted to ensure that they were in line with the ecological transition”.
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