The closing ceremony of the 2022 cruise season, organized by Catania Cruise Port, was held this morning in the port of Catania, with the participation of local authorities and the press.
To present the final data of the year Raffaella Del Prete, General Manager of the Italian ports belonging to the Global Ports Holding Group (Catania, Cagliari, Taranto and Crotone), who showed great enthusiasm for the 2022 results and for the forecasts for the 2023. Also present at the conference was Stephen Xuereb, COO of Global Ports Holding and President of Catania Cruise Port.
The numbers highlight the constant post-pandemic growth, which led to more than 90 calls and almost 140.000 passengers in 2022, marking a clear gap from the previous year's data (21 calls and around 14.000 passengers). The 2023 season, on the same wavelength, currently has about 90 calls and 150.000 passengers. Among the most represented companies and main customers of the Sicilian port, Costa Cruises stand out, with a mostly Italian public, together with TUI and Aida, brands dedicated to the German market, true admirers of the Sicilian destination. As for the most popular excursion destinations, have great appeal those of naturalistic and eco-sustainable inspiration, such as Etna and the Alcantara gorges, those rich in history, art, and culture, such as Taormina and Syracuse, as well as the tour of Catania itself, with its historic centre embellished by Baroque architecture, here Unesco heritage.
The 2022 season also saw significant growth in the numbers of interporting, i.e. the passenger embarkation and disembarkation operations which, thanks to its operational efficiency, Catania Cruise Port successfully carried out for the Costa Pacifica ship, part of the Costa Cruises fleet, that called at the Etna port every Sunday from June to September.
Further relief was also given by the abundant presence of companies in the luxury segment who have chosen to include Catania in their itineraries: we are talking about 14 cruise lines, such as the fascinating ships of Regent Seven Seas, the sailing ships of Sea Cloud and the mega yachts of Emerald Cruises, which demonstrate how the Etna destination is also suitable for satisfying the requests of such a demanding target.
“The resumption of cruise traffic after the pandemic is evident in the sector and Catania Cruise Port, with intense marketing and collaboration work with local institutions and realities, has managed to quickly resume performance and important volumes. Thanks also to the network of the Group we belong to, Global Ports Holding, we are working hard to ensure that this growth is confirmed and accentuated in 2023 and in the years to come” said Raffaella Del Prete, General Manager of Catania Cruise Port.
Since the end of 2016, Catania Cruise Port has joined the network of Global Ports Holding (GPH), the world's largest cruise port operator with an established presence in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Asia-Pacific regions, including extensive commercial port operations in Montenegro. GPH operates 26 cruise ports in 14 countries and continues to grow steadily, providing services for 15 million passengers reaching a market share of 29% in the Mediterranean annually.
