2027 will again be a record year for the Italian cruise industry. According to the Italian Cruise Watch report by Risposte Turismo, presented today at the opening of the thirteenth edition edition of the Italian Cruise Day in Livorno, next year the ports of the country will welcome about 16 million cruise passengers, with a growth of +4% compared to the 2026 closing estimates of 15.4 million passengers. In 2027, cruise ship stopovers in the Italian ports will rise to 6,375, with a +5% on the 6,070 expected in the 2026.

The figure is part of a growth that has lasted for years. After the collapse of 2020 (0.64 million passengers) and 2021 (2.59 million) mainly determined by worldwide distribution of the Covid-19 pandemic, traffic has returned above pre-crisis levels already in 2023, with 13.8 million against 12.27 in 2019. Then 14.23 million in 2024 and 14.74 in 2025.

According to Risposte Turismo, in 2027 Civitavecchia will remain the country's leading cruise port with 3.8 million passengers (+2.7%) and 990 stopovers (+2.5%). Naples will follow, with 1.95 million passengers (+11.4%), and Genoa, with about 1.6 million, stable on the 2026 but with a slight decrease in the number of airports (311, -1.3%). Palermo will be fourth with 1.2 million passengers (+19.8%) and will see the number of cruise ship berths increased by a third (364, +32.8%). La Spezia will close the top five with 845 thousand passengers (+12,6%). Among the other ports with a substantial traffic cruise industry, the most pronounced growth will be the of Salerno (530 thousand passengers, +31.7%). Among the smallest, Taranto will see passengers grow by +14.8% (123 thousand) and Catania, with 375 thousand passengers, +29.6%.

In 2027, nine ports of call are expected to reach their maximum cruise traffic history: in addition to Civitavecchia, Naples, Palermo and La Spezia, also Messina (818 thousand passengers, +4.1%), Salerno, Catania, Portofino (105 thousand, +5.0%) and Alghero (40 thousand, +67,0%). Not everyone, however, will grow. Cagliari will be the most obvious case, with a drop of -21.6% in passengers (486 thousand), but only -5.4% of the airports. Ravenna will also slow down (-5.9% of passengers, but stopovers +8.3%) and Trieste (pax -1.2%). Genoa, Savona, Bari, Venice and Brindisi will remain stable.

Geographically, the strongest growth will be in the South and in the islands. The islands will mark +7.9% of passengers and the Centre-South Tyrrhenian +7.2%. The Adriatic and Ionian Seas, on the other hand, could close with a slight decrease (-0.7%).

Among the regions, Lazio will be in 2027 will remain in the lead for the fourth consecutive year with over 3.8 million cruise passengers (+2.6%), ahead of Liguria (about 3.4 million, +2.5%) and Campania (over 2.5 million, the change higher: +15.7%). On the port of call front, Sicily will maintain the record with over 1,250 ships (+9.3%), while Lazio (about 1,030, +1.9%) and Campania (+26%) will compete for third place.

The Risposte Turismo report states that in the three-year period 2027-2029 The 30 ports that collaborated in the survey foresee investments of €1.052 billion, mainly €339.7 million (32.3%) for infrastructure to support cruises: docks, dolphins, mooring bollards, lighting and signage; €219.5 million (20.9%) for refuelling and alternative fuels; 214.3 million (20.4%) for new cruise terminals, almost 270 with the redevelopment of existing ones (54.65 million, 5.2%); €205.9 million (19.6%) for dredging and excavation of the seabed. The geographical framework is singular: the Adriatic-Ionian area, the one with the weakest traffic, concentrates the share 500 million (47.5%). The islands follow with 321.3 million (30.5%), the North Tyrrhenian with 177.9 million (16.9%) and the Centre-South Tyrrhenian Sea with 53.2 million (5%).

Eight new terminals are expected in the three-year period: Ravenna, Bari, Messina, Taranto and Brindisi in 2027, Venice-Marghera and Ancona in 2028, La Spezia in 2029. Four will replace existing structures. 2027 will see also the first landings in Capraia and the confirmation of Barletta and the Tremiti Islands, entered the itineraries in 2026.