The new cruise itineraries and ferry links, the actions to develop nautical tourism in the Adriatic, the investments to promote sustainability and respect for the environment and the environmental and occupational impact of maritime tourism will be among the main themes of the itinerant international forum devised by Risposte Turismo
On Thursday 6 and Friday 7 October 2022, Bari will be hosting the fifth edition of the Adriatic Sea Forum – Cruise, Ferry, Sail & Yacht, an itinerant international event dedicated to maritime tourism in the Adriatic, devised by Risposte Turismo, a research and consulting company at the service of the tourism macro-industry.
The forum will offer the chance to meet operators representing the most important figures involved in maritime tourism in the Adriatic.
The Adriatic Sea Forum, organised this year in partnership with the South Adriatic Port Authority System and Pugliapromozione, will be visiting the cruise terminal of the region’s capital, following on from the success of the previous editions held in Trieste (2013), Dubrovnik (2015), Budva (2017) and Ancona (2019), which saw an average of more than 30 international speakers and 200 participants, including entrepreneurs, managers, figures from the public administration, researchers and European project experts.
The central role played by maritime tourism in the Adriatic
Once again, the forum will offer the opportunity for intense debate and a close look at issues of importance for the future of the cruise, ferry, sailing and motorboat sectors in the Adriatic, an area looked onto by 7 nations (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro, Italy and Slovenia) and which includes 25 regions and over 150 tourist destinations.
The main themes of the forum
Numerous themes will be tackled during the programme, including an analysis of the type and volumes of traffic in the Adriatic area after a two-year period that has witnessed a significant reduction in tourist flows, not only by sea; new developments regarding cruise itineraries and ferry links, with new ships and new routes; the actions that could be taken to support nautical tourism in the Adriatic; investments by ports, companies, local public administrations and suppliers in general to promote sustainability and respect for the environment, and finally, the economic and occupational impact that could be guaranteed in the area by maritime tourism.
Particular attention will also be reserved for the specific needs of cruises, ferries and boats, with regard both to infrastructures and promotion, as well as public action to support the sector.
Expectation surrounding the new edition of the Adriatic Sea Tourism Report
Figures and analyses will also feature in the event, with a preview presentation of the new edition of the Adriatic Sea Tourism Report, detailing the research conducted by Risposte Turismo, which since 2013 has been analysing the flows, dimensions, nature and directions of maritime tourist flows in the countries looking onto the Adriatic.
“We are particularly satisfied to have found – thanks to the local partners of this edition – the conditions for the return of the Adriatic Sea Forum”, said Risposte Turismo President Francesco di Cesare. “Since the first edition, held in Trieste in 2013, it appeared clear that it was important, if not indispensable, to devote attention and effort to the development of maritime tourism in the Adriatic, a distinctive area with a rich variety of landscapes and cultures, which we believe has a long way to go to reach the results it deserves with regard to incoming tourist flows and economic development. In Bari, we’ll be attempting to tackle some of the points that in particular appear to be slowing down that development”.
“Going back to 2019, the last normal year before the pandemic”, continued Francesco di Cesare, “we had over 30 cruise ports in this area, more than 50 hosting ferries, hydrofoils and catamarans, and over 300 nautical structures totalling 75,000 berths, and of course a large variety of destinations to reach and visit. As regards demand, the numbers – including 5.2 million cruise passengers and 6 million ferry passengers carried on international routes in the Adriatic – were stable compared to previous years, before plummeting, as happened elsewhere, and indeed more than elsewhere, if we look at other areas of the Mediterranean. In Bari, we’ll be presenting the final numbers for 2021, forecasts on the totals for 2022, and a few estimates for the near future, so as to support our reflections and possible plans with figures, as is our custom”.
“We’re proud to be able to host such a prestigious, popular event as the Adriatic Sea Forum, which offers a significant opportunity for dialogue and to share projects, ideas and strategies with all the main international stakeholders”, said Ugo Patroni Griffi – President of the Southern Adriatic Port Authority System. “During the event, we’ll be presenting our six ports (Bari, Brindisi, Barletta, Monopoli, Manfredonia and Termoli) as a single futuristic, multimodal hub equipped with infrastructure, the projects currently under way and those we will be implementing in the immediate future, with the aim of attracting and increasingly capturing the interest of cruise companies and luxurious maxi-yachts, which we are especially keen to draw into our minor ports.
The economic and social effects of the pandemic, the management of the funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, the global geopolitical crisis, the investments in sustainability and the new scenarios opening up in the international maritime world require careful study to look into global dynamics, critical issues and possible solutions, focusing ideas and resources, establishing collaborations and understandings and systematising cooperation; these are the priority aims of the Adriatic Sea Forum” continued Patroni Griffi.
“For two days, Bari will be the capital of nautical tourism. The Adriatic Sea Forum will take place in the first week of October, yet another opportunity to present Puglia as an off-season destination – says Luca Scandale, general director of the Pugliapromozione Tourism Board. The Adriatic Sea Forum will draw attention from the cruise, ferry, sailing and motor-boating segment to the Puglian Adriatic coast, with beneficial economic returns for the tourism industry at large. With this initiative, we also aim at attracting the so-called high-spending tourists, from all over Europe and all over the world”.
Registration is required to take part.
For information and further details, see http://www.adriaticseaforum.com and the official Twitter and LinkedIn pages.
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