2023, a record year for Civitavecchia, the port of Rome, with more than 3 million passengers handled in the first 10 months up to the end of October.
Rome Cruise Terminal
Between January and October, Rome's Cruise Terminal received 3,014,491 cruise passengers in transit and onward, and to meet the demand, a new cruise terminal is planned.
The figures for 2023 represent a 53% increase compared to last year, when 1,970,215 passengers were recorded. This is a 25% increase compared to the first 10 months of 2019, before the pandemic (2,493,921).
The proportion of return passengers is approaching 47% of the total figures. This represents a 10% increase compared to 2019 and consolidates the position of Rome Cruise Terminal and the port of Civitavecchia as one of Europe's leading cruise turnaround hubs.
Economic impact
John Portelli, managing director, stated: “Cruise tourism is a major economic driver for Civitavecchia. As a result of the presence of cruise passengers, and particularly those making port calls, Civitavecchia has experienced a boom in the opening of B&Bs to complement existing hotels.
Around 200,000 cruise passengers spend at least one night in Civitavecchia, visiting the city, eating in local restaurants and shopping in the area, during their stay before or after their cruise.
We have also seen an increase in park and cruise traffic, largely due to the rise in Italian cruise passengers embarking from the port of Civitavecchia. This year, for the first time, we have handled port calls with a turnover of 10,000 passengers in a single day.
Cruise Ship Supply Center
Civitavecchia is also a major cruise ship supply center. It is expected that around 60,000 tons of supplies will be handled there this year.
Portelli added: “Recent studies indicate that cruise ships, passengers, and crew calling at Civitavecchia generate around €100 million annually for our economy and around €400 million for the Lazio region. We are especially grateful to the cruise lines that continue to call at Civitavecchia every year, to the authorities, and to the local community for their unwavering support this year.”
Pino Musolino, president of the Central Tyrrhenian Sea Port System (the port authority), spoke about the results obtained to date: “It is a historic achievement and the result of concerted efforts and the strategy put in place by the Port Authority together with the Cruise Terminal and the main stakeholders.”
“Recovering so effectively two years after the pandemic means we have successfully demonstrated to the industry that the Port of Civitavecchia is a reliable port, capable of offering professional services and products even to the most demanding vessels and customers. We are immensely proud of this achievement, and we are already focused on 2024 and beyond.”.
New cruise terminal
2023 is expected to close with 3.3 million passengers handled. In response to the increased volume and in order to further improve service to cruise lines, Rome Cruise Terminal will begin construction of the new Donato Bramante Cruise Terminal in the first quarter of 2024. Its completion is scheduled for the first half of 2025.
A land-based power supply project will also begin next year, with completion scheduled for 2026.
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