The positive trend registered in the last few years is confirmed by the forecast for 2008. It is foreseen that there will be a movement of approximately 8.550.000 passengers with an increase of 11.8% compared to 2007.

4.720 calls of cruise vessels at Italian ports (+8,5%) forecasted, 68 Italian ports of call, 148 different vessels representing 64 different Cruise Lines.

The cruising market is experiencing a moment of large expansion, passenger movement has doubled in the last 5 years and in 2008 will register an increase of 11.8%. An escalation due mainly to two new and concurrent factors, the non seasonal feature (with a significant rise of vessels staying in the Mediterranean during the winter season) and gargantuan, the tendency of companies to order and place bigger vessels on the market.

For the first time the three main Italian ports (Civitavecchia Venice and Naples ) will absorb nearly 51% of the Italian sea traffic. If we add the port of Livorno the percentage reaches 62%. However the concentration of sea traffic in these ports causes great difficulty from a logistic and operational point of view.

“has not been supported by an adequate expansion of the ports – declared Sergio Senesi , President of Cemar, - In fact, from a logistic and structural point of view, not all of these ports will be capable of managing and sustaining the traffic of such a high passenger capacity in an efficient manner.

For the above reasoning we request a policy that assesses those areas where a programming of the pier is based on the actual possibilities – Senesi adds - It is necessary to create a device that coordinates and monitors the booking of piers with precision, something relatively easy to implement taking into consideration modern technology and internet. This could be a solution to overcome the structural limits linked to piers assignment and quality of services given shore side.”