55,000 tourists ready to visit the city thanks to the busy schedule of luxury ship arrivals starting Thursday, March 16

Chioggia (Ve), March 14, 2023 – The Port of Chioggia is ready to efficiently and safely manage the new cruise season, which will begin on March 16 with the arrival of the first ship of 2023. After the very positive experience of the 2022 season, which saw the port of Chioggia welcome over 16,000 cruise passengers for the first time, the Port System Authority and the cruise commissioner have worked together with the Municipality of Chioggia, the Port Authority, and the concessionaire ‘Venezia Terminal Passeggeri’ and participating companies, to expand the arrival schedule of luxury ‘white’ ships, promoting the city as a destination of its own.

The number of calls is therefore expected to increase from 13 in 2022 to 36, thanks to the involvement of four cruise lines. In addition to the Sea Dream Yacht Club and Viking, which already called at Chioggia last year, Azamara Cruises and The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection will also plan their itineraries departing from Chioggia. The luxury cruises will stop in Chioggia for 2-3 days each, bringing approximately 55,000 tourists to the city, mostly from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The vast majority of cruise passengers (approximately 90%) will be homeported. The proposed itineraries will be open and will depart from Chioggia along the Adriatic-Eastern Mediterranean route with disembarkation in Venice and Piraeus, or the Adriatic-Western Mediterranean route with stops in Civitavecchia and Barcellona.

Extraordinary Cruise Commissioner and President of the Northern Adriatic Sea Port Authority, Fulvio Lino Di Blasio, stated: "The port of Chioggia is poised to become a cruise port in 2023, with all the credentials to become an independent and unique destination. At the same time, it will be a laboratory for developing a new model of tourism for the city and its surrounding area. This model will generate positive economic and employment benefits, while adhering to high sustainability standards, and will enhance the history, culture, landscape, and traditional crafts of Chioggia and the lagoon, and, above all, will empower residents. To support the development of the cruise industry in Chioggia, the Authority has also created the 'Destination Chioggia' project, entrusting a specialized company with the planning of a project to support the creation of the destination, which, guided by global trends in tourism today, will actively involve local stakeholders in developing a tourism system that is attentive to the local community, focusing on both the quality of hospitality and the quality of services offered. and on harmonizing tourism's schedules with those of the city, as well as, of course, promoting and enhancing the local identity and enhancing the quality of the tourism offered. At the same time, we will implement a series of interventions over the course of the year to improve the port's competitiveness, starting with restoring the canal draft to -7 metres, installing new mooring bollards for launches, preparing the docks for ship mooring, improving the access point to the Island of Saloni and the terminal lighting.

Mauro Armelao, Mayor of Chioggia, stated: "Thanks to everyone who collaborated to achieve this important result. Reviving the cruise industry in Chioggia has always been one of our goals, reclaiming parts of the city that had been abandoned, such as the Port of Saloni. It was a team effort, and for this I would like to thank Fulvio Lino Di Blasio, President of the Port Authority. I wish to point out that the Port Authority invested €100,000 to make Chioggia ready to welcome cruise passengers. I also thank the Commander of the Port Authority, Dario Riccobene, who has carefully managed security, and the cruise lines that believe in our city. Managing traffic flows remains a priority, ensuring respect for the city and its residents, as well as providing tourist services that will make their vacation unforgettable. The local economy will obviously benefit from the arrival of cruise passengers, who, we know, want to experience the city and beyond, also wanting to visit the surrounding area, creating a driving force for the entire region. This is why I strongly supported the Chioggia vertiport project: with air taxis, tourists arriving here can not only reach Venice airport in 15 minutes, but also visit the other beauties of the Veneto region. As the City of Chioggia, we must walk together to continue living this beautiful dream."

Fabrizio Spagna, President and CEO of Venezia Terminal Passeggeri S.p.A., stated: "With the arrival of the first ship next Thursday, the cruise season officially opens in Chioggia, a key moment in the diffuse docking project. The goal is to create a system that simultaneously enhances the area according to a sustainable tourism model. Almost all of the cruise ships arriving in Chioggia this year fall into the luxury tourism segment and will make homeport calls, offering a two- or three-day stopover with excursions not only to Venice, but also to the Chioggia area and throughout the region. This is therefore a very specific choice aimed at promoting high-quality tourism compatible with the needs of the city and its residents.

Dario Riccobene, Commander of the Chioggia Port Authority, stated: "Last year was a testing season, a test, and a challenge for everyone: the Viking vessels were, and remain, the largest ships to ever dock in the port of Chioggia, 2022 was the first year in which non-sporadic cruise activities were organized in Chioggia, in a truly systemic manner. Together, we proceeded to build a shared path with the institutions, authorities, maritime agencies, and technical-nautical services involved. A public-private partnership is crucial, given what has been accomplished in a relatively short time, yielding positive results and ensuring the orderly and safe operation of the new passenger traffic. This led to the issuance of Ordinance No. 59 of 2022, which regulates passenger ship navigation within ports and establishes operational limits based on the geomorphological characteristics of the canals, the structural conditions of the docks, and the seabed. At the end of the 2022 season, we gathered input, observations, and reports from all stakeholders, including shipping companies and, especially, ships’ captains, and drafted a document containing some considerations and a list of necessary interventions and useful actions to improve the current situation to make docking safer and more efficient. The document was shared with the Port System Authority and the Cruise Commissioner's Office, and a program was agreed upon. This program begins with a simulation study of port entry and exit manoeuvres, and includes canal maintenance, the installation of new bollards, and a series of measures related to traffic flow and protected access to port areas. Upon completion of the study and interventions, we will evaluate whether to make changes to the current safety ordinance to streamline the entry and exit process for ships. This year, we have four different shipping companies, for approximately 35 passenger ship arrivals, as mentioned, over a longer time frame (March-October) than previously, so it's necessary to also take into account the varying weather conditions that may arise, which will be carefully assessed. Therefore, as part of our role as privileged observers, we will ensure constant monitoring and stimulation for what is known in jargon as "production safety," so as to always have opportunities for improvement and greater efficiency.