A record traffic of 15.1 million passengers is expected in 2026 cruise passengers in Italian ports, with an increase of +2% on the last year. The forecast is from the Genoese agency Cemar Agency Network, according to which this year there will be 5,913 calls of ships from cruise in Italian ports (+7.9%), of which 935 carried out with small (up to 200 passengers). In total, in 2026 185 cruise ships are expected to operate in Italian waters (+6), representing 58 cruise companies for a total of 77 ports involved.

"Let's see clearly - commented the president of Cemar Agency Network, Sergio Senesi - a further expansion of the sector. But that's not all. The time is ripe for an evolution of market linked to the entry into the cruise business of the most prestigious luxury hotel brands. It is therefore growing A new type of customer, with high spending power: We will also see important repercussions on the economy of the territories".

Regarding the distribution of traffic in the main Italian cruise ports, Cemar reports that in 2026 the port of Civitavecchia will confirm its leadership with 3.78 million passengers, followed by Naples (1.78 million) and Genoa (1.57 million) million). Palermo, Livorno, Savona, Messina complete the top ten. Among the regions, Lazio leads the ranking with 3.79 million passengers (25.09% of the total), followed by Liguria (3.15 million, 20.8%), Campania (2.22 million, 14.7%), Sicily (2.14 million, 14.2%), Tuscany (0.92 million, 6.1%) and Sardinia (0.78 million, 5,2%). Among the shipowning groups, the leadership is confirmed of the MSC group with approximately 5.08 million cruise passengers handled, followed by the Carnival group (4.94 million), the Royal group Caribbean Cruises ($2.03 million) and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (1.18 million). On the operational front, the most intense months They will be October (795 stops), May (789 stops), July (785). The daily peak is expected for Saturday 23 May, with 35 ships present in Italian ports at the same time and over 88,000 passengers handled in a single day.

For Cemar, growth will also be confirmed in 2027, with The first projections indicating traffic for next year cruise ship in Italy of over 15.2 million passengers. "The deseasonalization of flows, also favored by the current geopolitical scenario - explained Senesi - contributes in a way that decisive to this growth. Strategic was also the introduction of the latest generation of ships in fleets, always more efficient and sustainable, which make it possible to reduce the emissions and to strengthen the commitment to the protection of the Mediterranean Sea".