Last July 19th, Porto di Livorno 2000, together with the Port network Authority of the North Tyrrhenian Sea presented important research on: “Cruising in Livorno and its economic impact on Tuscany”, written by the Region and by IRPET.
An extract of the study is provided below:
“The infrastructure development of the port of Livorno will overcome the physical constraints that limit the further development of cruising in Tuscany, but to get the most positive effects in the field of tourism it is necessary that the infrastructure investment is flanked by a real strategy to relaunch the tourist destination of Livorno, starting from the enhancement of the city as a team made up by the actors in both the public and private fields”. This was stated by the Regional Tourism Councilor Stefano Ciuoffo who spoke in Livorno to the conference organized by the Region with the Porto di Livorno 2000, the Chamber of Commerce Maremma and Tyrrhenian Sea, Port network Authority of the North Tyrrhenian Sea, Irpet and Tuscany Tourist Promotions, for the presentation of the IRPET report: ‘Cruising in Livorno and its economic impact on Tuscany’.
Present among others were the President of Port network Authority Stefano Corsini, Tourism Councillor of the Municipality of Livorno Francesco Belaise, President of the Chamber of Commerce Maremma and Tyrrhenian Sea Riccardo Breda, the President of Porto di Livorno 2000 Luciano Guerrieri, Michel Nestour, Vice President Carnival Corporation, Leonardo Massa Country Manager Italy MSC Cruises and Gina Giani, AD of Tuscany Airports.
The research highlighted the importance of cruising for economic growth and employment in the territory of Livorno and Tuscany. Overall in 2016 the cruise activity in the port of Livorno produced an expenditure (by part of the cruise travelers, crews and those who have invested in the sector) equal to approximately 52.2 million euro, which activated 26.7 million added value and 31.6 million GDP in Tuscany, producing the equivalent of over 470 full-time jobs. The activity mainly affects the economy of Livorno, in fact, in the Labronica area, it is as much as 49% of the expenditure (equal to 25.7 million euro) which is about 8.8 million added value and 142 equivalent work units. Research has revealed that, both in the segment of low cost cruises and in the luxury segment, there exists a potential demand not yet fully exploited. The analysis has shown the criticality to be the comfort and the reception of the tourist arriving in Livorno, as well as in the integration between the port and the tourist offers of the territory.
From the participants and from the work of the Round Table entitled: “Strategies for the growth of the destination” the holdings of Livorno and its role within the international cruise sector and the many opportunities emerged. We cannot allow ourselves to leave unstructured space for our tourism promotion action considering the solid and growing demand in this sector. We must understand the dreams, the stresses and the expectations of those who choose to take a cruise, live the experience of a cruise, as Massa of MSC and Nestour of Carnival reminded us, because the tourists give us a great boon: their free time and holidays. Expectations must find answers constructed in a targeted manner since it is possible to do so having the privilege to know in advance who arrives and where they come from and how long they to plan stay, with a profiling of passengers that allows you to customize the offer. We need to maintain the high quality of our system of reception and of the public space of our city: already favored by countless ships that spend the night in our harbor (overnight). The real, authentic city of Livorno must become welcoming and conversant with this world of tourism that is discovering it in recent years. The goal is to create a strategy and put it into practice, coordinating the policies for the relaunch of the destination, starting from the redevelopment of urban spaces, the maintenance of the artistic heritage, the treatment of the water front, canals, of the Old Fortress and a concrete relationship with the system airports of Tuscany to consolidate the home port building a business plan shared and targeted- according to Giani of Tuscany Airports.
Irpet Research has indicated as points on which to intervene:
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The creation of a strong and continuous relationship with Tour Operators;
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The greater role for Porto di Livorno 2000 for the promotion and territorial marketing;
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More information on the offers of the territory made through the tourist information offices;
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Installing appropriate signs to orient visitors to sights and shopping in the city;
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Programming the openings of the shops in a more systematic and continuous way, so as to guarantee to cruise travelers satisfactory service;
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Targeted initiatives like the Livorno Card, also involving the cruise travelers and crews, who often request them;
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Communicate Livorno through the guides and on social networks to build a narrative of the city of Livorno. In this, important personages of culture from Livorno may also help;
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In addition to adequate professional expertise; create destination manager to implement development strategies and do marketing activities;
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Find new channels of financing seeing that public resources are insufficient.
