This year, a +9.4% growth in cruise traffic is expected in the port of the Sicilian capital.
There are 1,100 workers in Palermo directly employed in the maritime tourism sector, a sector that in 2024 generated over one hundred million euros in direct spending. This is highlighted by the study “Palermo All Year Round. The Contribution of the AdSP MSOCC to the Economic, Touristic, and Beyond Vitality of the City,” commissioned by the Port System Authority of the Western Sicilian Sea to the company Risposte Turismo and presented today in the Sicilian capital during the “Blue Economy Forum” organized by “Il Secolo XIX.”
In 2025, the port of Palermo is expected to handle cruise traffic of 1.1 million passengers across 242 cruise ship calls, with increases of +9.4% and +6.6% respectively compared to last year. The study specifies that of the workers active in the maritime tourism segment, 170 are directly activated by the docking of large cruise ships (over 130,000 gross tons with more than 2,000 passengers on board) and 100 are directly involved in the docking of a ferry. To these, around ten more workers are employed on a day with nautical transits starting from at least one medium-sized yacht (approximately 20-25 meters).
