While all the cruise community is gathered at Seatrade Europe in Hamburg, Silver Nova is visiting Toulon Bay for the very first time!
Despite every brand and every ship calling in Toulon Bay is considered as very special, this 9th maiden call, over the 15 maiden calls* scheduled in Toulon Bay this year, will be remarkable. Firstly, because it will be the very first scheduled call of a Silversea’s ship over a long period of time, and secondly, because with such a luxury and a highly environmental valuable ship, the call of Silver Nova is completely aligned with the Marketing positioning and development strategy for cruise activity around Toulon Bay, based on two main pillars: upmarket strategy and sustainable development.
About the upmarket strategy
Although Toulon Bay can accommodate the biggest ships currently deployed in the Med (up to 340 meters long), over the years, Toulon has gained recognition towards the Premium and Luxury segments who are appreciative of the quality of experience on both guests’ satisfaction and operational easiness. Indeed, most of the luxury and premium brands now consider Toulon Bay as a “boutique port”, at a human scale, and they represent today more than a half part of the cruise calls scheduled every year in Toulon Bay!
With the ability of accommodating only two to three ships simultaneously (only one in La Seyne sur Mer and a maximum of two small/medium ones opposite side of the bay, downtown Toulon), whether they are luxury, premium or contemporary brands, all appreciate the fact that being in a “medium” port not congested nor overcrowded, where they feel special and exclusive.
About sustainable development and energetic transition:
Toulon Bay is OPS ready for both ferries and cruises! Works are currently under completion so the ferry and cruise ships can plug at the port (Toulon Downtown Passengers Terminal). OPS dedicated to cruises will deliver a high voltage connection throughout a mobile crane (6.6 kV -11 kV, 12 MVA, 50 – 60 Hz) provided by a quite unique energetic mix coming from various sources; Local grid, hydrogen fuel cell with hydrogen produced from a local photovoltaic farm, plus energy from solar panels implemented at the port Terminal.
Moreover, the port and destination are working together to promote “local” tours toward the cruise lines, so transportation from the port to any tours can be reduced as much as possible, and consequently, the footprint of the activities ashore (which are also a part of the impact of the overall cruise activity). Green tours in a 25 kms perimeter are more particularly promoted in that way. This also allows to work on the acceptability issue; by working more locally, cruise lines are also more sustainable and actively participate to improve the acceptability of the cruise industry at a local and regional scale.
*(11 in La Seyne sur Mer and 4 downtown Toulon)
