Crociere, crescono i passeggeri in Italia: previsto un +4,3% sul 2025

In 2026, Italian cruise industry is expected to see a 4.3% increase in passenger movements compared to the previous year. There will be over 15.4 million passenger movements on cruise ships alone, with an additional 6,000 berths. This historical figure is based on the assumption that the forecasts will be confirmed. The data comes from Risposte Turismo, a specialized research and consulting company in the global tourism industry.

The results were presented during the XIII edition of the Italian Cruise Day, set to take place in Livorno on October 23rd.

During the hot summer months (June to August), passenger movements exceeded 6.1 million, marking a 4.5% increase from the same period in 2025. Additionally, 2,314 ships docked in the approximately 60 cruise ports across the country. This represents a record result, even though there was a slight decline in passenger numbers in June (-1.5%).

According to Francesco di Cesare, president of Risposte Turismo, the June-August data clearly demonstrates the impact of the peak season on Italy's cruise industry. This period accounted for about 60% of the passenger traffic in the first eight months of the year. July was particularly strong, with over 2.16 million passenger movements and the highest increase compared to 2025, with nearly 200,000 more movements.

August maintained a positive trend, while June showed a more complex dynamic, with a slight passenger decline despite a double-digit increase in docking (+16.3%). The research indicates that summer months play a crucial role in the annual performance of this sector, which is becoming increasingly important for port, ship, and regional planning, as well as for the overall tourism of the country.

In terms of specific figures, the ports with the most pronounced positive changes compared to the previous year in absolute terms during the summer quarter were Salerno (+149,000 passenger movements, +374% from 2025), Civitavecchia (+140,000 passenger movements, +9.8% from 2025), and Ravenna (+67,000 passenger movements, +43% from 2025).

Livorno, the host city for the 2026 edition of the Italian Cruise Day, recorded an increase of over 37,000 passenger movements (+11.5% from 2025) and 28 ship dockings (+22.8% from 2025) between June and August. At the macro-regional level, the Central Southern Tyrrhenian region achieved the greatest results in this quarter, with significant increases in both passenger movements (+214,000) and ship dockings (+162), driven by the performance of Salerno and Civitavecchia, which offset the decline in Naples (-11.9% in passenger numbers).