Shipping Italy
Cinzia Garofoli
Alessandro Santi, an electronics engineer and leading figure in maritime logistics, former president of Federagenti and currently leading a diverse logistics group, announces the launch of “Welcome Ashore”: a website born as a civic movement aimed at rebalancing the narrative on cruise tourism in Italy and the Mediterranean. The movement, supported by residents, small businesses, and workers, aims to put local voices at the center of the debate, promoting a balanced approach that supports local economies, protects the environment, and respects cities.
SHIPPING ITALY interviewed him to delve deeper into the rationale behind this initiative and discuss the most pressing challenges facing the sector.
Mr. Santi, let’s start with the key news: from your leading position in the business world, you chose to found Welcome Ashore as a grassroots civic movement. What was the impetus and what is its primary goal?
The impetus stems from the observation, developed over years of institutional activity, that communication about cruise tourism in Italy is often too unbalanced. This is a vital sector: the cruise phenomenon will reach 15 million visitors in Italy by 2025, yet the positive aspects it produces are systematically overshadowed by voices that emphasize only the negative aspects.
My experience in Venice played a key role in the genesis of this grassroots movement. Throughout my years of institutional activity—as a maritime operator, president of the Venetian maritime agents, and then national president of Federagenti—I have always suffered from the destructive way communications in the sector were handled. Therefore, Welcome Ashore, a website already live, was created to rebalance this narrative, not only in Italy but also in other Mediterranean countries facing the same problem.
We don’t want to deny the problems—on issues like the environmental issue, for example, which shipowners and the industry have been extremely committed to for years—our primary goal is to provide scientific data and the voices of citizens and workers in the industry, gathering both positive and negative experiences to provide suggestions and also to draw shipowners’ attention to where they can do more. On the other hand, we want to try to involve the local authorities, because there is indeed much to be done in this regard for the good of the area. The workers and residents themselves will contribute content and reports to the website, which is our primary listening platform. My role is to provide a kickoff and initial logistical support, but authenticity and management must remain civic. We need the ‘voices of those who put their faces out there every day’ to shape the agenda for dialogue with institutions and companies.”
Regarding unbalanced communication, you believe cruises are not the main cause of overtourism. Could you explain, also using the example of Venice, what we should focus on to best manage tourist flows?
Indeed, it’s important to understand that cruise tourism isn’t the main cause of overtourism. This is clearly demonstrated by the example of Venice, where out of 30-35 million visitors, in its best years, only 1.8 million were cruise passengers, and of these, only 400-500,000 were also visitors to the city. Furthermore, currently, with the port moved to Marghera, that number has dropped to 200,000: a paltry number compared to the total number of visitors.
We should, in fact, focus on developing a tourism model that is programmable and on the possibility of directing it to areas where it can generate development rather than congestion. We believe that support should come from those who live and work in the area, to create a win-win relationship with companies and administrations, with a view to the common good. Investments in onshore services and infrastructure (e.g., public transport, urban redevelopment) should be tied to low-season airports, making the benefits tangible for local residents.
The Mediterranean is a rapidly growing market, but it is facing congestion problems. What concrete tools and strategies should Italy adopt to avoid unsustainable peaks in passenger and ship traffic?
The key lies in two fundamental and interconnected actions: deseasonalization and deweeklyization. This requires a necessary cultural and operational leap. Today, port optimization is primarily focused on the high season, but the cost of this approach falls not only on the customer experience, but on urban livability. When a passenger flow suffers prolonged disruption, the reputational impact damages the entire Italian tourism industry, extending well beyond the cruise industry alone.
What’s missing is central planning that allows for the precise and predictable distribution of flows, taking advantage of the cruise tourism’s ability to be targeted. We must work to develop the country’s planning for this industry to prevent crucial ports like Civitavecchia or Naples from having to handle peaks of 10-12 ships on the same day. In this sense, initiatives such as a possible national ship calendar, while complex to implement, should be on the table.
What is your vision for cruise infrastructure management and what strategic priorities should Italy adopt to develop new destinations sustainably?
The priority is to overcome the current fragmentation of investments. A single dock is not enough; cruise tourism is a vector-driven phenomenon that requires infrastructure, services, and support for large ships. The strategic direction must be focused and efficient, implementing port specialization supported by a centralized vision, as Porti d’Italia SpA seems to propose. Finally, we must accept the evolution of logistics, where ports are further away from historic centers, and focus on upgrading landside services and passenger connections, who are now aware of and accepting this reality.
The newbuilding market has become polarized into two segments: ultra-luxury vessels and megaships that now carry more than 6,000 passengers. Is this naval gigantism manageable for Italian ports, and what economic role do these large ships play, even for smaller terminals?
The largest ships, which today can carry up to 6,500 passengers, are crucial to the economy of the entire sector. They are the container equivalent of 21,000 TEU ships: they are the engine that drives the industry.
The very concept of these ships is different, focused on the onboard experience. We can’t assume all Italian ports can accommodate them; a strategic choice is necessary. Ports that can handle them—like Genoa, Naples, Civitavecchia—must invest in land-based flow management and connections. At the same time, a growing segment of maxi-yachts and luxury ships carrying up to 800-1,000 passengers is requiring the redevelopment of marinas and docks with a focus on luxury and dedicated services. However, in terms of impact, the ports that handle them must adhere to strict environmental and logistical standards. Despite new technologies, it’s unthinkable that a flow of 6,500 people won’t require ‘surgical’ management on land to avoid saturating the road network and local services. We must focus on relocating land-based services, minimizing congestion in central urban areas.
Looking at international competition, the challenge is increasingly focused on the energy transition. Is Italy at risk of being penalized in green supplies and infrastructure compared to competitors like Spain and Greece? What steps are urgently needed to ensure the operational sustainability of next-generation ships?
Competition in the Mediterranean has shifted to sustainability. The challenge is who can complete the transition to LNG first, and soon to biofuels like methanol and hydrogen, and who can offer the greatest access to cold ironing.
The risk isn’t so much the lack of physical infrastructure, but the lack of central leadership in choosing energy sources. We can’t afford to have 70 ports independently investing in four different reservoirs.
Italy is a leader in the Mediterranean and must maintain this competitive advantage, remembering that cruise tourism is the best territorial marketing tool we have. Tourists who visit seven ports in seven days, if they find a region that has “smiled” at them, return as individuals, disproving the false idea that cruise passengers don’t leave money behind. It’s a business, but it must be managed with the understanding that the region comes first.