Venice and its port continue their journey toward adopting an increasingly sustainable cruise model for the historic city and the lagoon ecosystem. Central to this process is the commissioner's work, which began in August 2021 and with the valuable collaboration of the entire port community and city institutions, is proceeding at full speed in compliance with the objectives set by the government in Legislative Decree 103/21.

During this year and a half of work, temporary berths throughout the Porto Marghera area (Liguria and Lombardy wharves) have been identified, upgraded, and put into operation, the dual use of the Fusina ro-ro terminal has been implemented and a successful trial has been launched in Chioggia, in the luxury cruise segment. The nautical accessibility study for the Malamocco-Marghera canal has also been completed and the feasibility study for the equipment of the two wharves in the North Canal and the new passenger station has begun.

The industry has responded excellently, acknowledging the efforts made and responding with great flexibility to the new scenario, confirming a schedule of 243 calls for 2023, bringing 550,000 cruise passengers to the lagoon, approximately 90% of which will be homeported. Thanks to bookings made this year by 24 cruise lines (compared to 21 last year), an average annual increase of 42% in the number of mooring, pilotage, and towing services reserved for cruises is expected in 2023.

In 2023, the commissioner's office will initiate and approve the canal maintenance project and the North Canal berthing project and the new station will be commissioned, and the latter's final project will be commissioned. The company will also begin planning interventions to improve nautical accessibility. The work to improve the usability and safety of the Liguria and Lombardy docks will also be completed by the end of the year, and the work for the first temporary berth in the North Canal will be completed.

Extraordinary Cruise Commissioner and President of the Northern Adriatic Sea Port Authority, Fulvio Lino Di Blasio, stated: "The cruise industry continues to choose and desire Venice, focusing not only on numbers—which continue to grow, with the 2027 goal of bringing 1 million tourists back to the lagoon—but also, and above all, on quality and sustainability. Beyond infrastructure and nautical accessibility, we are working to adapt our approach, on the one hand, to the megatrends of post-pandemic tourism and, on the other, to full respect for Venice, its times, its people, and its lagoon. Together with several cruise lines, we are developing a new way to guide tourists as they approach Venice; in collaboration with the Venetian university system, we will launch a form of "destination preview" with qualified narrators who will board the ships to help cruise passengers understand the unique natural, cultural, architectural, and landscape environment they are about to encounter. We are working with the airport system to improve synergy" and connections between the airport and docks, optimizing tourist travel. On the environmental front, highly technical studies—such as the Channeling project—will provide a scientific basis for the sustainable development of the entire Venetian port system. Finally, the shared commitment with the Municipality of Venice and now also, with the Municipality of Chioggia, continues to renew and strengthen the Blue Flag protocol for reducing emissions in agreement with the cruise lines that call at all lagoon ports.

Fabrizio Spagna, President and CEO of Venezia Terminal Passeggeri S.p.A. stated: "We are about to launch the 2023 season with an operational capacity that can count on four berths available on specific days of the week based on the agreements made with the Marghera terminals as well as those at Marittima and San Basilio. Compared to 2022, we can count on two berths at Fusina (instead of one) made operational also thanks to the infrastructure works managed and supported by VTP and an additional berth at the Tiv terminal (Lombardy Wharf) on Mondays. Trusting in the positive progress of the authorization process, we will continue to work to complete the setup of the Fusina terminal with the aim of ensuring two operational berths for the homeport as early as 2024. The construction of the new model of diffused cruise transport, compatible with the city and with freight traffic, is therefore continuing but, as of today, it is not entirely completed. Compared to 2022, therefore, the season that is about to begin will see a General growth in the number of companies (+14%) and ships positioned (+46%) and a doubling of expected passengers, confirming the percentage of homeports (86%), which remains crucial for the growth of sustainable cruise tourism capable of generating benefits for the region and employment. The 'new' cruise model will no longer be driven by demand but by supply, focusing on sustainability and compatibility with the city and its tourist flows. It is up to us to design a cruise industry that respects these characteristics, which certainly will not bring us back to 2019 numbers, but will necessarily have to safeguard the home port, deal with new accessibility, and also take into account a new economic and employment balance that is sustainable for VTP and all related industries.

Admral Piero Pellizzari, Maritime Director of the Veneto Region and Commander of the Venice Port Authority, stated: "The 2023 cruise program is part of a very specific safety framework that stems from ongoing work conducted in collaboration with the technical nautical services and the Port System Authority to ensure the best procedures and solutions for the arrival of ships at temporary docks. The procedures have been regulated by a dedicated ordinance that affects all port activities and integrates all the measures already communicated regarding the management of atmospheric phenomena, from fog to wind, and the procedures that define the entry and exit modes of ships in the lagoon in conjunction with the activation of the MoSE. The adopted regulation is also supported by risk analyses and tests carried out over the last two years by the Danish Hydraulic Institute through simulation methods of manoeuvres with the type of vessels involved calling at Venice.

Andrea Tomaello, Deputy Mayor of Venice, stated: "This is an important opportunity to relaunch the cruise season in Venice, which aims to return to being the Mediterranean's main homeport. I am pleased with the numbers recorded in 2022 and those forecast for the coming years, considering that we were starting from scratch in 2021. We aim to welcome quality tourists who can stay longer in our city and allow many related activities and businesses to continue operating. The project launched to raise awareness and empower tourists arriving in Venice is crucial, so that they can learn about the city's characteristics and unique features from aboard ship, with a focus on sustainability and the environment. This is a project we believe in, which will be implemented with a variety of partners and networks."