Alessandro Santi, an electronic engineer and prominent figure in maritime logistics, former president of Federagenti and currently at the helm of a complex logistics group, announces the launch of “Welcome Ashore”: a website born as a civic movement that aims to rebalance the narrative on cruise tourism in Italy and the Mediterranean. The movement, supported by residents, small businesses, and workers, aims to place local voices at the center of the debate, promoting a balanced approach that supports local economies, protects the environment, and respects the cities.
SHIPPING ITALY interviewed him to explore the reasons for this initiative and discuss the most urgent challenges facing the sector.
Engineer Santi, let’s start with the central news: from your top position in the business world, you have chosen to found Welcome Ashore as a civic movement that starts “from the bottom.” What was the impetus and what is the primary goal?
“The impetus comes from the observation, matured over years of institutional activity, that communication about cruising in Italy is often too unbalanced. This is a vital sector: the cruise phenomenon in 2025 will reach 15 million visitors in Italy, and yet the positive spin-offs it produces are systematically overshadowed by voices that only emphasize the negative aspects.
In the genesis of this movement, designed to be born from the bottom, my experience in Venice played a key role. Throughout all my years of institutional activity – as an operator, president of the Venetian maritime agents, and then national president of Federagenti – I have always suffered from the destructive way in which communication about the sector was managed. For this reason, Welcome Ashore, a website that is already active online, was born to rebalance this narrative, not only in Italy but also in other Mediterranean countries facing the same problem.
We do not want to deny the problems – on issues, for example, like the environmental question, on which, moreover, shipowners and the supply chain have been extremely committed for years -; our primary goal is to bring scientific data and the voices of citizens and workers in the supply chain, collecting both positive and negative experiences to provide suggestions and also draw the attention of shipowners where they can do more; on the other hand, we want to try to involve the administrations because there is indeed much to be done, in this sense, for the good of the territory. The workers and residents themselves will bring the content with reports on the website, which is our main listening platform. My role is one of kick-off and initial logistical support, but the authenticity and management must remain civic. We need the ‘voices of those who put their face on the line every day’ to shape the agenda for dialogue with institutions and companies.”
Regarding unbalanced communication, do you believe that 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?
“In fact, it is important to understand that cruise tourism is not the main cause of overtourism.
This is clearly demonstrated by the example of Venice where out of 30-35 million visitors, in the best years only 1,800,000 were cruise passengers and of these only 400-500,000 were also visitors to the city; currently, moreover, with the terminal moved to Marghera, they are reduced to 200,000: a negligible number compared to the total number of visitors.
We should, in reality, focus on studying a type of tourism that is programmable and on the possibility of directing it to areas where it can create development instead of generating congestion. We believe that support must start from those who live and work in the area, to create a win-win relationship with the companies and administrations, with a view to the common good through investments in onshore services and infrastructure (e.g., public transport links, urban regeneration) which should be linked to the low-season stops, making the benefit tangible for the local citizenry.”
The Mediterranean is a rapidly growing market, but it is facing congestion problems. What are the concrete tools and strategies that Italy should adopt to avoid unsustainable peaks of passengers and ships?
“The key lies in two fundamental and interconnected actions: de-seasonalization and de-weeklization. This requires a necessary cultural and operational leap. Today, the optimization of stops is predominantly concentrated on the high season, but the cost of this approach does not only fall on the customer experience, but on urban livability. When a flow of passengers experiences prolonged discomfort, the reputational impact damages the entire Italian tourism chain, going well beyond just the cruise sector.
What is missing is central planning that allows for the surgical and predictive distribution of flows, exploiting the possibility of being directed that cruise tourism has. We must work to grow the country from the point of view of planning for this industry to prevent crucial ports like Civitavecchia or Naples from having to manage peaks of 10-12 ships on the same day. In this sense, initiatives such as a possible national ship calendar, albeit complex to implement, should be on the discussion table.”
What is your vision on the infrastructural management of cruising and what strategic priorities must Italy adopt to develop new destinations sustainably?
“The priority is to overcome the current fragmentation of investments. A berth is not enough; cruising is a vector phenomenon that requires infrastructure, services, and assistance for large ships. The strategic direction must be concentration and efficiency, implementing a specialization of ports supported by a central vision, as the proposal for Porti d’Italia S.p.A. seems to be. We must, finally, accept the logistical evolution, where ports are further from historic centers, and focus on the redevelopment of onshore services and passenger connections, as passengers are now aware of and accept this reality.”
The new building market has polarized into two segments: ultra-luxury units and mega-ships that now exceed 6,000 passengers.
This naval gigantism is manageable for Italian ports and what economic role do these large ships play, even for smaller terminals?
“The largest ships, which today can accommodate up to 6,500 passengers, are fundamental for the economy of the entire sector. They are the equivalent, for containers, of the 21,000 TEU ships: they are the engine that supports the industry.
The very concept of these ships is different, focused on the on-board experience. We cannot think that all Italian ports can accommodate them; a strategic choice is necessary. The ports that can manage them – such as Genoa, Naples, Civitavecchia – must invest in managing onshore flows and connections. At the same time, a segment of maxi-yachts and luxury ships up to 800-1000 passengers is developing, which requires the redevelopment of marinas and docks with a focus on luxury and dedicated services. However, in terms of impact, the ports that manage them must commit to strict environmental and logistical standards. Despite new technologies, it is unthinkable that a flow of 6,500 people does not require ‘surgical’ management onshore to avoid saturating the road network and local services. We must focus on the delocalization of onshore services, minimizing congestion in central urban areas.”
Looking at international competition, the challenge is increasingly played on the energy transition. Is Italy at risk of being penalized on green supplies and infrastructure compared to competitors like Spain and Greece? What steps are urgent to guarantee the operational sustainability of new generation ships?
“Competition in the Mediterranean has shifted to sustainability. The challenge is who arrives first to complete the transition to LNG, and soon to biofuels like methanol and hydrogen, and who offers the greatest access to cold ironing.
The risk is not so much the lack of physical infrastructure, but the absence of central guidance in the choice of energy carriers. We cannot afford to have 70 ports investing autonomously in four different tanks.
Italy is a leader in the Mediterranean and must maintain this competitive advantage, remembering that cruising is the best tool for territorial marketing at our disposal. The tourist who touches seven ports in seven days, if they find a territory that has ‘smiled’ at them, returns as an individual, disproving the false idea that cruisers do not leave money onshore. It is a business, but it must be managed with the awareness that the territory comes first.”
