Cruise traffic in Crotone has grown extraordinarily in recent years and, thanks to the joint efforts of the Authorities and the local cruise cluster, a 2022 calendar full of calls has been achieved. Furthermore, starting from this season, thanks also to the awarding of the concession for the management of the cruise terminal to Crotone Cruise Port, the appeal of the port of Crotone as a cruise destination in the Mediterranean panorama has further increased, thanks also to the promotion of the destination already implemented by the company and to its belonging to the international group Global Ports Holding, an important global showcase.
The call of the Viking Sky, elegant cruise ship belonging to the fleet of the premium company Viking Cruises, is configured as a tangible result of the success of these development projects. Arrived at eight in the morning with more than eight hundred passengers on board, mostly Americans, the ship has scheduled seven calls in the port of Crotone in the current season, deserving for 2022 the title of second customer of Crotone Cruise Port for volume of passengers handled.
For the occasion, the crest exchange ceremony with the ship's captain took place at the terminal, attended by the Manager of the Port Network Authority of the Southern Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas, Alessandro Guerri, the Mayor of the Municipality of Crotone, Vincenzo Voce, the Councilor of the Municipality of Crotone, Anna Maria Rita Cantafora, and Raffaella Del Prete who, starting from July 2022, will replace Antonio Di Monte at the helm of the Italian ports of Global Ports Holding (Cagliari, Catania, Taranto and Crotone).
The event also represented an important opportunity for dialogue between Crotone Cruise Port and the Authorities present, with a view to a common interest in increasing cooperation between the City and the Port for the purpose of implementing actions and projects for the structuring of the city of Pythagoras as a cruise port.
“Crotone is the new rising star of the Italian ports managed by Global Ports Holding” said Stephen Xuereb, president of Crotone Cruise Port. “We are pleased to have hosted this important meeting with the ship and the local authorities, and confident that the collaboration between the parties will lead to achieve important results for our cruise terminal and for the city of Crotone”.
“The presence of such a large flow of cruise passengers inspires our natural tourist vocation, driving force of development for our territory. We hope that Crotone will also become a port of departure for cruise ships. For us, the presence of such a prestigious company that takes care of the details of the reception at the cruise terminal is also of fundamental importance” said Vincenzo Voce, the Major of the City.
