Cruise passenger traffic has increased four-fold through the Venice Cruise Terminal in the past seven years, according to information released by the company. The port has moved from 10th to fourth place among European ports (the second busiest homeport in the Mediterranean) and is taking 13th place in the world.

The Venice Passenger Terminal (company) was founded by the Port Authority in 1997 to promote and increase passenger traffic in the Port of Venice.

For 2008, there was a total of 1,719,986 passengers on 1,414 calls, of which 1,215,088 were cruise passengers, 388,605 ferry passengers and 116,293 hydrofoil passengers, according to a spokesperson.

The Terminal facilities occupy 260,000 square meters on land, 47,267 square meters of which is covered space, a water area of 123,700 square meters and 3,578 linear meters of piers. Among the other data are 2,100,000 items of passenger baggage handled, up to 33,000 people passing through on peak days, thanks to modern gangways and 181,452 vehicles handled on ferries. The cruise sector recorded a 305.8 percent traffic increase since 1997.

Continuous Upgrades

As the cruise industry has grown in Europe and in Italy, the Venice Passenger Terminal has kept up by investing in its facilities, accommodating more ship and passenger traffic. Altogether 48 million euros have been spent or budgeted for improvements for the multi-use facilities, which also host trade shows and fairs.

Of the 33 million euros invested in the last 10 years alone (from the Isonzo 1 Terminal to the transformation of the ground floor of Building 117 for cruise passenger and equipment such as mobile electro-hydraulic gangways at Tagliamento), some 15 million euro will be added in coming years. The work will begin on the conversion of Building 109/110 to a terminal facility, the first floor of Building 117 to terminal uses, a new access road system for the ferry terminal area and finally the second lot of the Isonzo Terminal.

Economic Impact

The cruise business contributes to the economies of Venice and Northeast Italy. In fact the economic spin-off from cruise ship tourism compared with day-trips has been established by a recent study conducted by the IDEAS Centre of Venice University in collaboration with Risposte Turismo. The amount spent by cruise-ship passengers is estimated at 180 million euros a year, while the total revenue from tourism in Venice, calculated by CISET, the International Center of Studies on the Tourist Economy, is 1.5 billion. This means that cruise is contributing  10 percent of the overall economic impact. But this is expected to rise as hotel bookings fall, and thus push the cruise industry’s share up to about 20 percent. This study considers the direct economic spin-off and not the wider implications for the area as a whole. By comparison, a report by the Rotterdam Port Authority valued the economic benefit generated by a single homeported passenger to no less than 260 euros. This amount should be seen in the context of the Veneto Region, whose main industry is tourism, accounting for 10 percent of the region’s GDP with 21,400 companies, 350,000 employees and revenues of more than 12 billion euros.

The strategic importance of this sector, which involves at least 2,000 permanent, seasonal and contract workers, and the future opportunities that it provides, has been taken into consideration in a Venice Passenger Terminal feasibility study for a new pier and terminal for the latest generation of mega-cruise ships.

Super Yachts

The yacht business has also been booming in Venice. VTP, the majority shareholder of the two companies, Venice Yacht Pier (VYP), formed to manage and increase the number of maxi yacht berths in Venice, and Venice Yachts and Ships Assistance (VYSA), a consortium of firms providing services for the yacht market, recorded 230 calls in 2008, 39 of which were by vessels more than 50 meters long. The busiest period is between June and September, when the average stay is four days and the average size is more than 40 meters. These luxury vessels spend as much as 800 to 2,000 euros a day on various services, plus up to five times this amount on transportation, hotel accommodations, shopping, excursions and fuel. Among the novelties last year was the permanent presence of two maxi yachts, one 50 meters long and the other 90 meters long.

Environment

The company has also been active in environmental protection. Together with the Municipality of Venice, the Harbourmaster’s Office and the Port Authority, Venice Passenger Terminal has been promoting the Venice Blue Flag – an award that goes to the shipping companies that have signed and observed the voluntary agreement for the safeguarding and the protection of the Venice environment. The Blue Flag is a tribute to the signatories that have undertaken to reduce smoke emission from the ships that pass through and berth in the Venice Lagoon between the island of Lido and the ship terminal. This award, therefore, recognizes the efforts made by those shipowners that are committed to reduce environmental impact, both on land and by sea, even exceeding the requirements of international regulations, in order to protect the delicate equilibrium of the lagoon ecosystem, the health of the population and the integrity of its artistic and historical heritage, making Venice a leading city in terms of environmental sustainability and the safeguarding of the environment, the spokesperson said.

Multi-Use

Fair and conference activity is also brisk, she said, thanks to the fact that spaces are multi-functional. Among the events are Expo Premium, an international event for operators in the awards and recognition business; Antiquari a Venezia – presenting the best artistic products from Italy and other countries; and the Venice Cultural Heritage Fair – an event devoted to the world of institutions and companies serving the arts.

Looking forward, the port and the adjacent areas are being revived, the spokesperson said. The Isonzo 1 Terminal will open in April 2009, and at the same time work will start on the expansion and reconstruction of Terminals 109 and 110. The combined work done by Venice Passenger Terminal, the Venice Tourist Authority and the Municipality will put the port area in a position to have what it called “a more appropriate relationship with the historic center (of town) and the surrounding area, and responding to future local and international visitor requirements thanks to efforts such as the People Mover and the big new multi-story parking structure.”

These are key initiatives for Venice for which infrastructure is key to accessibility. The Venice passenger port naturally benefits from these initatives and is only 13 km from Venice Marco Polo International Airport, and is also much more easily reached by all visitors after the opening of the Venice motorway by-pass, which has taken the pressure off the Mestre highway, one of the busiest in the Italian road system, linking Western and Eastern Europe.