Adriatic cruising sees slight growth in 2024 and wider distribution of calls according to Risposte Turismo
The Adriatic Sea will register 37m passenger movements (embarking, disembarking and transit) in 2024, of which 4.9m are from cruise ships, a 6.7% increase compared to 2023, according to Risposte Turismo data.
The Italy-based research and consulting company also noted a wider distribution of passengers across ports this year compared to last, ahead of the seventh edition of the Adriatic Sea Forum, to be held in Ravenna between October 24-25.
The latest Adriatic Sea Tourism Report, which forecasts 2025 and full data from 2024, will be released at next week’s Forum.
Italy top country visited
Italy attracted the most passenger traffic followed by Croatia, Greece, Montenegro and Slovenia while Albania saw a decline.
Although cruise passenger numbers have remained stable over the last ten years with 4.8m recorded in 2015 vs 4.9m in 2024, traffic patterns have changed: the three ports of Venice, Dubrovnik and Corfù, accounted for 64% of cruise traffic for many years. Today, there is an indication of a wider distribution of flows across the Adriatic ports, with the three top ports now accounting for only 38%.
Shifting patterns
Regulations which banned larger cruise ships from the Venice Lagoon and a sustainable cruise destination policy implemented in Dubrovnik have steadily seen a shift in itineraries to different destinations across the Adriatic Sea.
Corfu top Adriatic port
At the end of 2024, Corfu will be the top Adriatic cruise port with more than 700,000 passengers movements and over 380 calls, while Kotor will rank next with 600,000 passenger movements and 485 calls, - a record for the Montenegro port. Dubrovnik will rank third with 524,000 passengers, a far cry from the record 1.08m recorded in 2013.
Among the top ten ports, Venice will rank fourth with 540,000 passengers and 240 ship calls, followed by Trieste, Bari and Split with respectively 475,000, 473,000 and 465,000 passengers and 158, 169 and 366 calls.
The remaining three ports, Ravenna, Zadar and Koper will record respectively 257,493, 235,000 and 120,000, alongside 87, 225 and 74 calls.
The following league table reads Brindisi with 104,215 pax and 60 calls followed by Ancona, Chioggia, Bar, Rijeka, Šibenik, Hvar, Korčula, Sarandë and in 20th position Rovigno with 17,644 pax and 98 calls.
Pula’s throughput increased the most YoY with +155% compared to 2023, equal to 3,000 passenger movements, while Igoumenitsa grew by 67% and 7,000 passengers and Brindisi 42% and 104,000 passenger movements.
The Adriatic Sea Forum is attracting more than 200 participants and 40 speakers from the regional cruise, ferry and yachting sectors.
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