MEDCRUISE Newsletter Issue 38 Dec 12 10/12/2012 10:21 Page 1 MedCruise News Bringing the Med together A message from MedCruise December 2012 | Issue 38 President Stavros Hatzakos IN THIS ISSUE MedCruise continues to expand Association News/People 1-3 It has been a very busy and fruitful year common policies on various matters and share A Message from MEdCruise PResident 1 since I was elected President, together with best practices. The coalition was finalised 3rd Black Sea Cruise Conference 2-3 ‘a new Board of Directors, at the 39th during Cruise Shipping Miami in March this MedCruise General Assembly in Sète, France year and a follow-up meeting takes place at Port facilities & Infrastructure 2-16 in October 2011. Seatrade Med in Marseille in November to take Today the Association has grown to 72 the initiative forward. members representing more than 100 ports Another important step taken this summer Odessa 2 around the Mediterranean region, including the saw the Secretariat of MedCruise move from Rijeka 4 Black Sea, the Red Sea Barcelona to Piraeus. Dubrovnik 4 and the Near Atlantic, This involved the Zadar 4 French Riviera 5 plus 28 associate physical move of our Toulon Var Provence 5 members, representing office and Secretary Sete 5 other associations, General, Maria de Kavala 6 Larratea, to Greece to tourist boards and Corfu 6 establish a new ship/port agents. Igoumenitsa 6 MedCruise MedCruise continues Thessaloniki 7 headquarters in the to search for new ports Patras 7 and destinations to Port of Piraeus Souda/Chania 7 welcome into our Authority’s office. I La Spezia 8 unified family that would like to take Cagliari 8 stretches its boundaries this opportunity to Civitavecchia 8 from the near Atlantic thank the Port of North Sardinian Ports 9 region to the Black Sea Barcelona for hosting Palermo 9 and the Red Sea. the Association’s Venice 9 Attracting new ports headquarters for the Koper 10 into MedCruise not past nine years. Valletta 10 only strengthens our As 2012 draws to a Cyprus 10 message but also helps close we are proud to Azores 11 cruise lines, when announce our new- Lisbon 11 Balearic Islands 11 planning their look website Ceuta 12 deployment strategies. brimming with Barcelona 12 We have had many ports joining quite new to information on all our members, new features Cartagena 12 and useful tools for cruise lines planners. the cruise industry that have profited by Alanya 13 MedCruise’s strength over the past 16 years working with and learning from their Motril-Granada 13 since it was formed is working together in a MedCruise colleagues from larger, well- Palamos 13 common interest which benefits the whole established ports. Monaco 14 An interesting development for our region and as we head towards 2013 we hope Marseille 14 Association in 2012 was being given the honour to build on the work already achieved by the Gibraltar 14 of chairing a new coalition of cruise ports new Board of Directors in its first year of Messina 15 associations, which joined forces to discuss office. Heraklion 15 Kotor 15 La Goulette 15 Batumi 15 MedCruise Today Livorno 16 Madeira 16 • 72 members • 8 leading Mediterranean cruise Association News/People 16 • 100 ports ports are all MedCruise members • 41 General Assemblies • Top 5 European home ports are MedCruise in China 16 • 6 presidents MedCruise members • 28 Associate members • 168 ships sailing in Med waters www.medcruise.com MEDCRUISE Newsletter Issue 38 Dec 12 10/12/2012 10:21 Page 2 3rd Black Sea Cruise Conference, Odessa Russian port of Sochi is due to not only host the 2014 Winter Olympics but also Formula 1’s first Russian Grand Prix will take place that year around the site of the Olympic village and in 2018, it will be one of the host cities for the Football World Cup. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.'s John Tercek, vp commercial and new business development, spoke of the added opportunity for the Black Sea due to the current troubles in surrounding countries like Syria, Greece and North Africa. ‘Passengers are likely to be drawn away from places like these and the Black Sea could benefit,’ he added. With regards to passenger connectivity into the region the ports of Batumi, Sochi and Constantza all have good airports served by a variety of airlines. Reconstruction has begun at Odessa airport but the Crimean airport at Simferopol (closest to Sevestapol) needs work. f the 320 cruise ships deployed itineraries and opportunities to spend more The main problem the region faces is the worldwide, 168 ships with 220,000 time in each destination. He also pointed to poor infrastructure. Port facilities plus city Olower berths sailed in the the great deal of itinerary choices the Black infrastructure needs to be developed, said Mediterranean in 2012. However Black Sea Sea offers as well as the potential for Yuriy Vaskov, general manager of the Port of cruises only attracted 40,000 lower berths butterfly cruises from Istanbul. Odessa. this year, representing 1% of the market. Steven Young, head of port operations and The third International Black Sea cruise services at Carnival UK, spoke of the ‘right conference, held in Odessa in September, speed’ between ports when itinerary focussed on cruise growth potential for the planning. ‘The aim would be 17-18 knots in area as well as the obstacles facing the 2013 and then maybe down to 14-15 knots in region. the future,’ he said. Although the Black Sea is not drawing the The Black Sea is abundant in heritage and desired cruise numbers, Peter Wild said there culture and offers a whole host of different is great potential as the ports are located fuel-efficient itineraries with varied shore close to each other, enabling fuel-efficient excursions. ith its historical architecture, was originally the best hotel in Southern contraband in and out of the city, but it is which has a style more Russia. Now housing shops and restaurants, their link to the Second World War that is WMediterranean than Russian, its architecture decorated by numerous the real draw as the tunnels were used by having been heavily influenced by French sculptures draws many visitors. The Odessa partisan fighters to resist German control of and Italian styles, and its wide streets and Opera & Ballet Theater, finished in 1887, is the territory. squares, Odessa’s rich history makes it a joy regarded as one of the worlds finest. The Odessa’s cruise passenger numbers are to visit. The city itself was only founded in theatre is still fully operational and the most rising year on year. In 2012, 122 ships called 1794 by the decree of Catherine the Great, recent renovation work was completed in at the port bringing an estimate of 73,078 but by the 19th century it was the fourth 2007. It is said that thanks to unique passengers. For 2013, 125 calls have been largest city in Imperial Russia, after acoustics even a whisper from the stage can booked so far bringing an estimated 93,326 Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Warsaw. be heard in any part of the hall. passengers. With the development of the The main tourist attractions in the city Another popular site, just 20 minutes region of the Black Sea ongoing, these are the 142mtr long Potemkin Steps, made from the city, is the catacombs. The tunnels numbers are set to rise in the future. famous by Sergei Eisenstein’s famous extend 1,400km around the city and date motion picture The Battleship Potemkin. back to the beginning of the 19th century. MedCruise contact Elvira Leschinskaya: Odessa Passage, built in the 19th century They were used by smugglers to move [email protected] Potemkin Steps Odessa Opera & Ballet Theater Catacombs 2 MEDCRUISE Newsletter Issue 38 Dec 12 10/12/2012 10:21 Page 3 Gala dinner at the Londonskaya Hotel Stavros Hatsakos, MedCruise President, joining in the folk dancing Elvira Leschinskaya of Odessa Commercial Teodor Patrichi from Constantza Port and Kristijan Pavic (Dubrovnik Port), a Sea Port, and Stavros Hatsakos, MedCruise Bea Eering from Intercruises MedCruise board member and Bojan Babic President (Koper Port), MedCruise Vice President MedCruise and Marketing Project “Cruise Black Sea” meet to Maria de Larratea, MedCruise Secretary General and Stavros discuss ways of increasing cruise traffic to the Black Sea Hatsakos, MedCruise President on the Potemkin Steps MedCruise members and Cruise Line Executives enjoy B2B meetings between Port delegates and Cruise Line Executives the Odessa city tour 3 MEDCRUISE Newsletter Issue 38 Dec 12 10/12/2012 10:21 Page 4 Rijeka ijeka's second cruises season is ready to accept all size cruise ships, Rproviding new possibilities within its offer. The arrival of the first cruise ship in year 2012, accepted in the newly constructed passenger terminal, is the significant step forward for the ongoing conversion which plays a major role in modernisation of the port area. The Delta area and Baros port, known as the Rijeka Waterfront Project is expected to take a considerable step in the modernization Dubrovnik n its on-going project of development and quick look ahead to 2013 and the same period modernisation of the passenger port of January to end August shows 441 cruise ships IDubrovnik, the Port Authority is aiming to are expected and 658,754 passengers, create optimal business conditions as well as representing an increase of 2% and 5% achieving a competitive package of services respectively on this year’s numbers. and a controlled combination of price and The majority of passengers arriving in the quality. It cites one of its main challenges is to port are drawn to the old town with its continually identify requirements, needs and pedestrian zone making walking a pleasurable expectations of its customers, mostly cruise way of discovering its narrow streets, stone process of the port area.