Taranto: Rising Sun of Italian Cruise Ports

Climbing the ladder of success of Taranto Cruise Port, the new GPH port member, is so fast to be almost unbelievable. The key to this success obviously lies in a synergistic collaboration between the Municipality of Taranto, firmly committed to the revaluation and enhancement of the city and its territory, the Port Network Authority of the Ionian Sea, always ready to plan, innovate and promote the destination, and its main stakeholders, including Taranto Cruise Port itself, which has been managing the cruise terminal of S. Cataldo pier since the end of April 2021.

At the Italian Cruise Day in Savona, Taranto Cruise Port has made to the top 10 of Italian ports in 2021 by number of passengers (28 calls and over 80,000 passengers), as well as in the top 20 of Mediterranean ports (19th in the ranking). During the event, Taranto was also announced as the location of the next edition of the Italian Cruise Day in 2023, a significant opportunity for international enhancement and relaunch for the entire Ionian port city.

The port of Taranto is also represented in the MedCruise Board of Directors 2021-2024 thanks to the election of Silvia Coppolino, Head of the General and International Affairs/Promotion and Marketing Divisions of the Port Authority.

Taranto Cruise Port inaugural season ended with a bang, on November, the 10th, an unprecedented farewell ceremony was organized at the S. Cataldo pier. A beam of colored lights rose along the quay to accompany, to the rhythm of “We salute you!” of the AC/DC, the unmooring operations of MSC Seaside in its twenty-eighth and last call of the year in the Ionian port.

Furthermore, starting from next year, the cruise terminal of S. Cataldo pier will be able to count on the brand-new berth in the Levante quay, inaugurated on November 22nd, in the presence of the deputy minister for sustainable infrastructures and mobility, Teresa Bellanova, and able to also welcome the large ships of the latest generation for transit and turnaround operations.

What to say? Taranto rocks!