According to an article published by Travel Weekly, fears of terrorist attacks in some parts of the Mediterranean basin have led to a sharp decline in the region's cruise ship market share, according to a report by Risposte Turismo, a Venice-based cruise research company. Only 15.5% of global cruise ship capacity will sail in the Mediterranean this year, down from 18.3% last year and 16.4% in 2007.
Francesco di Cesare, president of Risposte Turismo, commented that the decline is the result of a mix of factors, including “cruise-free zones,” which include destinations such as Turkey, Tunisia, and Egypt. “In 2017, we don’t foresee significant growth in the main Mediterranean ports,” said Cesare. “But some key ports like Barcelona will remain stable compared to 2016.”
The Port of Barcelona confirmed it expects to receive more than 800 cruise ship calls this year, compared to 758 in 2016, which can be attributed to Barcelona's consolidation as a cruise homeport. Conversely, Italy's main ports are expecting declines. According to Risposte Turismo, the number of passengers arriving from Italian ports will fall by 7.1% this year to 10.3 million, while the number of calls will decrease by 9.6% to approximately 4,500.
Risposte Turismo expects Civitavecchia, Rome's port and the second-largest cruise port in the Mediterranean after Barcelona, to receive 5.9% fewer passengers this year, while Venice, the fourth-largest port in the Mediterranean, anticipates an 11.4% drop. Marseille, the region's fifth-largest port, will experience a 6% decline in passengers this year. Venice, a major homeport for cruises on Eastern Mediterranean itineraries, has been severely impacted by the ongoing threat of terrorism in Turkish ports.
Greek Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura commented that a decrease in the number of cruise ships calling at Greek ports is expected this year, but the number of passengers is expected to increase due to the deployment of larger vessels. Furthermore, some cruise lines have canceled their Turkish itineraries, shifting their calls to Greek ports instead.
Di Cesare stated that Tunisian ports were largely abandoned after two terrorist attacks in 2015, and although they began receiving calls again in late 2016, lingering unease continues to affect itinerary planning. He added that, as a result, cruise lines have opted this year for alternative regions to the Mediterranean as more profitable and more popular itineraries. Even so, the Mediterranean will remain the second most popular cruise region in the world, behind the Caribbean (35.6% of capacity) but ahead of the 11.5% of ships sailing European itineraries outside the Mediterranean.
Next year, an increase in passengers is expected in the Mediterranean, barring any terrorist incidents that might reduce demand. For example, Royal Caribbean International will have eight ships in Europe by 2018, up from seven this year, including its 5,400-passenger Symphony of the Seas, which will operate seven-day cruises from Barcelona with stops in Palma de Mallorca, Marseille, La Spezia (Florence/Pisa), Civitavecchia, and Naples.
