The kick-off meeting of THEMIS project “Territorial and Maritime Network Supporting the Small Cruises Development”, funded for 2,700,00.00.euro by Interreg V-A Greece-Italy Programme, was held on 25 of september at the cruise terminal of the port of Bari.
Lead partner is AdSP MAM, in cooperation with the Port Authority, the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Crafts and Agriculture of the Province of Bari, the Port Authority of Corfu, the Municipality of Gallipoli and the Municipality of Paxos. The project aims to support the development of the Adriatic-Ionian ports through the identification of new routes and connections and to intensify the traffics of the small cruise ships and the luxury yachts, so as to foster territories still not exploited with regard to the cruise tourism.
“The project – comments AdSP MAM president Ugo Patroni Griffi- will support us in facilitating a strategy of cross-border growth, between Puglia and Greece, aimed at developing a dynamic economy based on smart, sustainable and inclusive systems, in all ports of our system. An important tool that will allow us to more effectively intercept the luxury segment of cruise traffic, focusing on the seasonal adjustment of tourist flows. In this dynamic – concludes the President – the inland areas will also be enhanced and promoted, with important beneficial effects on the economy of the entire territory”.
The project provides for the execution of a territorial marketing analysis, to identify and quantify tourist flows, by identifying a specific market for potential investors. New maritime routes for small cruises and maxi yachts will be identified, in connection with the existing tourist offer, involving the inland territories in an impactful way. Moreover, light infrastructure works will be carried out for all the ports of the system (Manfredonia, Barletta, Bari, Monopoli, Brindisi), Gallipoli and the port of Paxos in Greece. The project will end in April 2020.