Destination MedCruise Jun 09 17/6/09 14:49 Page 1 QUARTERLY JUNE 2009 ISSUE 24 35th MedCruise General Assembly October 29th-30th, 2009 EU tourism draft report Off to Monaco 8 MedCruise members feature in the top 15 EU ports of call onaco’s harbour Port Hercule will Participants attending the GA will have the ccording to a draft report looking at provide the backdrop for the chance to see Monaco’s new cruise facilities tourist facilities in ports presented M35th MedCruise General located in the heart of the city plus some of the Aby Policy Research Corporation and Assembly to take place on the 29th and most famous landmarks around the Principality, commissioned by the EU, eight 30th of October 2009. including the Casino and the Prince’s Palace. MedCruise members featured in the top 15 EU ports of call and six appeared in New members the top 15 turnaround ports for 2008. Looking at passenger numbers the top three ports were all MedCruise members: Barcelona, Naples and Civitavecchia with Palma holding From the Azores to the fifth place. Four more member ports; Livorno, Venice, Malaga and Valletta, also appeared in the Ukraine top 15 list. In terms of passenger spending the regions of Naples and Civitavecchia are clearly the most important regarding transit call expenditures in Europe. However, these ports are only a gateway to the tourist hotspots of Pompeii and Rome respectively. The port cities themselves receive only a minor share of the passenger Theodosia expenditures; the related economic impact must ©Anatoliytt-Dreamstime.com therefore be allocated to the tourist destinations, atest members to join MedCruise breadth of the Mediterranean and stated the Policy Research Corporation. This is perfectly illustrate the diversity of adjoining seas. also the case for ports such as Livorno (Florence Lthe Association featuring The ports of Ponta Delgada, Praia da Vitoria and Pisa) and Le Havre (Paris). destinations located the length and and Horta, collectively known as the Azores, In total, EU ports received 17,738 cruise calls and previously part of the Portuguese Ports last year of which 72% were in the umbrella requested full membership which was Mediterranean and Black Sea. accepted at the 33rd GA held in Venice in December. At the Cartagena GA last month Theodosia was approved to join MedCruise. Located on the Crimean peninsula on the Black Sea coast of Ukraine, Theodosia is a small city with a rich history going back to the first century AD. Today Theodosia is a key Black Sea port and Ponta Delgada famous as a health resort. Civitavecchia - gateway for Rome Destination MedCruise Jun 09 17/6/09 14:49 Page 2 DESTINATION MEDCRUISE – TUNISIA/SYRIA/RUSSIA Via Tunisia Via Sochi, Russia New quay at La Goulette Port of Sochi SC Fantasia made its maiden call of Samir Hakimi, ceo for the Office of Merchant at the new wharf in La Goulette, Marine and Harbours, a committee was set up is 75 MTunis in May. The quay is involving port executives, engineers and currently 1,050ft but will be extended to technicians in co-operation with MSC Cruises to 2,165ft by 2010, allowing two Fantasia- ensure the maximum security for the ship class vessels to berth simultaneously. berthing at the harbour. When completed, the new quay and terminal Eight MSC Cruises ships will use the new wharf will include a tourism and recreation complex in 2009, including MSC Fantasia, MSC Splendida, designed in the style of a traditional Tunis MSC Sinfonia and MSC Melody, all of which will neighbourhood. call weekly during the summer. Prior to the new facility La Goulette could only La Goulette Harbor which was granted ISO ochi’s commercial port was accommodate cruise ships up to 294mtr in certification last year welcomed over 700,000 founded in 1934 and since length. About one year ago under the supervision cruise passengers and 433 ships in 2008. The Sthen ships have been carrying Office of Merchant passengers from the Russian port Marine and Harbors to the Georgian coast year-round. is now looking to In the mid-1990s a ferry link was expand cruise established to ports in Turkey and facility continues to operate today. infrastructure at The period between 1970 and 1990 other Tunisian ports was the golden age of the port. Sochi including Bizerte, then became a home port for Black Sea Sousse, Sfax, Gabès cruising. The Crimea-Caucasus line was and Zarzis knowing enormously popular with the population that these regions of the former Soviet Union. have significant Today the port of Sochi is at the Passengers arriving in La Goulette receive a Roman welcome tourist appeal. centre of the development of Black Sea cruising. It receives ships from the leading cruise lines, including Cunard, Costa, The Via Lattakia, Syria Yachts of Seabourn, TUI, AIDA, Holland America Line and MSC Cruises and is to the 12 century AD built by Roman committed to attracting more calls. emperor Septimus Severus. The monument The port of Sochi has been a Lattakia and is square in shape 12mtr by 12mtr, built with MedCruise member since 2003 and is also sandstone and rising 16mtr high. 200mtr to highly visible in the Black and the Azov its mythical the north of the arch are the Bacchus Pillars seas Ports Association as well as in the believed to be part of an ancient temple Black Sea Economic Cooperation foundations assigned to Bacchus, god of wine. Organisation. But a visit to Lattakia is not all about A major reconstruction of the port has uins found in and around ancient ruins and myths, in addition the city started in preparation for the 2014 Winter Lattakia date back to between is surrounded by forests and has beautiful Olympics. Once completed, Sochi will be R4,000 and 2,000 BC. beaches perfect for sailing and water sports. able to receive five cruise ships The Phoenicians, Canaanites. Sumerians, 9km to the north-east of the city is the simultaneously including two of more than Babylonians, Romans and the French have all country’s top resort area known as Blue 300mtr in length. A new marina will be lived in Lattakia and left important traces. Beach (Shaati Al Azraq). able to accommodate 350 yachts. In total, 15km from Lattakia is Ugarit or Ras Shamra. the redevelopment plans call for 15 new It was the capital of Syria 2,000 years BC. berths and refurbishment of the terminal. Accidentally discovered in 1928 by a farmer, Krasnaya Polyana staging 2014 Winter the resulting excavations revealed texts Olympics engraved on pottery slates, the so called Ugarit Alphabet consisting of 30 letters. There are numerous ancient citadels around Lattakia including Salah Alden citadel to the east, dating back to the mid-10th Century located on a rocky spur surrounded by a natural trench on three sides. Also in the eastern part of the ancient city is the Great Arch (pictured) dating back 2 www.medcruise.com Destination MedCruise Jun 09 17/6/09 14:50 Page 3 DESTINATION MEDCRUISE – CYPRUS/ITALY Via Cyprus Via Livorno, Italy Projects New megaship pier ready new 350mtr long dedicated The site is a 500mtr walk from the city progress cruise berth in Livorno will be centre and located in a waterfront area which Apartly operational in July this has recently been redeveloped and includes a year. The Tuscany port has fast tracked marina and commercial premises. the expansion of its cruise handling The first 200mtr length of pier, providing a capability by utlising an existing quay 9mtr water depth alongside, will be able to close to the Benetti shipyard. accept cruise ships in July. Additional dredging work needs to be completed alongside the remaining 150mtr of berthing which will commence later this year. Currently Livorno can lans for the redevelopment of accept seven cruise ships Lemesos and Larnaka ports have at any one time at three Pmoved onto the next stage. quays devoted to cruise At Larnaka, a major redevelopment is operations, including ships planned for transit calls and a marina for up to 250mtr in length at 1,000 craft, plus a leisure and commercial the passenger terminal. In complex. 2009, passenger numbers Constructed on a Build, Operate and are expected to be slightly Transfer basis, the project has recently been up at around 850,000, re-awarded by the Ministry of Communications & Works to a consortium with no variation headed by local firm Vouros Investments compared to 2008 with partners including Singapore Cruise (849,050 passengers). Centre. Work on the project covering 260,000sq mtr of land comprising offices, shopping Via Venice, Italy malls, leisure and commerical facilities plus widening of the turning circle in the port and enlarged marina will start in the next Venice opens another two to three months and will be implemented in stages over a six year period, costing around half a billion Euros. cruise terminal At the island’s main port of Lemesos an recent study showed cruise first floor. Embarkation is via a walkway and ¤18m project to build a new passenger tourism brings direct economic there is a viewing balcony running terminal, partly funded by the EU, will go benefits to Venice of around alongside the quay. The inside décor is out to tender at the end of this year. A A ¤150m a year, accounting for 10% of minimalist with floor to ceiling glass walls. separate tender for extending the existing the total value of tourism in the Next, VTP plans to convert building linear container quay from 340mtr to 840mtr in length will be issued next year. lagoon area. 109/110 into a cruise terminal and is The new terminal, covering an area of Venezia Terminal Passeggeri handled studying a project for handling the largest 7,000sq mtr, and lengthened quay should 1.2m cruise passengers last year and the ship’s afloat costing around ¤95m, with be operational by end of 2011.