Presentation of Italian Cruise Day 2023 event and Cruise Season 2023 calendar
PORTO OF TARANTO, 20 JANUARY 2023. This morning, in the Hall of Mirrors of Taranto Municipality, the press conference to presentthe Italian Cruise Day 2023, was held. This event has a significant importance in the Italian cruise industry that, on 27t October 2023, will see Taranto port city as hosting location of the initiative. In fact, hundreds of the best players in the cruise sector will have the opportunity to discover and admire the rich cultural and tourist heritage of “Taranto destination”, already recognised Destination of the Year in 2022.
The 2023 edition of the initiative has the support of the Port of Taranto – The Port System Authority of the Ionian Sea and of Taranto Municipality that act as partners. The President of the AdSP of the Ionian Sea, Sergio Prete, the Councillor for Tourism, Development and Tourism Entrepreneurship of the Puglia Region, Gianfranco Lopane, the Mayor and Deputy Major of Taranto Municipaliity, Rinaldo Melucci and Fabrizio Manzulli, and the President of “Risposte Turismo”, Francesco di Cesare took part in the press conference.
Italian Cruise Day – forum on cruise industry and tourism in Italy – is a project conceived and organised since 2011 by Risposte Turismo and it represents an inevitable appointment for the professionals of the transnational cruise industry that will arrive in Taranto on 27 October on behalf of the various professional categories involved in the cruise industry (tour operators, travel agents, shipowning companies, shipping agents, representatives of port entities and many others). Numerous initiatives will characterise the day’s program, full of discussion sessions and in-depth analysis moments on the dynamics of the sector, as well as opportunities for retraining and business networking. As in previous editions, the forum will also present the new Italian Cruise Watch edition, the research report produced by Risposte Turismo containing the most up-to-date and relevant data on the cruise sector in Italy and forecasts for the year to come.
Raffaella Del Prete, General Manager of Taranto Cruise Port, also participated in the press conference, sharing the results achieved by Taranto destination in the 2022 season, year in which the port of call grew significantly with important numbers and results. Finally, in today’s meeting, the calendar of the 2023 cruise calls of Taranto destination has been made official. During this new season, it will welcome 40 calls operated by 7 cruise lines: Celebrity Cruises, Marella Cruises, P&O Cruises, Costa Cruises, Noble Caledonia, Sea Cloud and Norwegian Cruise Line.