The Var Provence Cruise Club (VPCC) has celebrated its 10th anniversary, while seeing its annual cruise traffic grow to more than 300,000 passengers (2018) over the same time period.
With two marquee ports, Toulon Bay and St. Tropez, the Var Provence network has a total of 10 ports, including smaller anchor destinations — Saint-Cyr-Sur-Mer, Sanary-sur-Mer, Bandol, Les Embiez, Le Lavandou, Cavalaire, Frejus and Saint-Raphael. With a new finger pier, Toulon Bay will be able to accommodate the largest ships by 2022, according to a prepared statement.
The VPCC said it is continuing to develop new excursion ideas while capitalizing on its Cruise Friendly Welcome Quality Label, offering passengers a warm welcome and enhancing their experience ashore.
The group is also working on two new projects, one is focused on Southern France, including the French Riviera and Marseille, and another involving Corsica, Liguria, Sardinia and Tuscany, promoting regional itineraries featuring a range of eco-friendly excursions based on sustainable development and bio-diversity, the VPCC stated.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the VPCC has a seen a total of 3 million passengers over the 10-year period on more than 2,500 ship calls , amounting to 87 percent growth in annual passengers since 2008. With more than 431 local shops and tourism providers as members, the VPCC also said the region offers more than 100 shore experiential and immersive excursions, including eco-tours dedicated to cruise passengers.
