Countdown to the Adriatic Sea Forum 2024 in Ravenna – Speakers and Program

Anticipation is growing for the seventh edition of the Adriatic Sea Forum – Cruise, Ferry, Sail & Yacht event, the itinerant international event dedicated to sea tourism in the Adriatic scheduled to take place in Ravenna during October 24-25.

Devised and organised by Risposte Turismo, the event this year will be held in partnership with the Port of Ravenna Authority and with the support of Edison and Bassani Group.

“We are pleased to bring the Adriatic Sea Forum – Cruise Ferry Sail & Yacht for the first time to Ravenna, a city that in recent years has made significant investments indicative of its desire to also focus on sea tourism, as a driver for growth”, said Francesco di Cesare.

200 participants registered, More than 40 speakers

With just under two weeks to go to the forum, more than 200 participants have already registered to attend the event, which will be held in the delightful setting of the city’s Dante Alighieri Theatre on the opening day, and in Palazzo Rasponi dalle Teste on the following day.

Around 40 speakers will be engaged in the numerous encounters set to take place during the two-day event in Ravenna, representing not only the seven countries that look onto the two shores of the Adriatic – Italy, Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro and Slovenia – but also other nations such as France and Germany interested in finding out more about the trends and performance regarding sea tourism in an area with more than 150 tourist destinations in 25 regions.

“The seventh edition of the forum will once again offer an important opportunity for learning and engagement, involving all the operators in the cruise, ferry and nautical sectors interested in finding out more about the current situation, trends and prospects for maritime tourism in the area,” di Cesare said.

Speakers at the forum will include: Alessandra Priante, President of ENIT – Italian National Tourism Agency; Pavle Tripković, Secretary of State to the Ministry of Transport and Maritime Affairs of the Government of Montenegro; Kristijan Pavic, CEO of ACI Marinas; Miha Zupanc, CEO of Marina Portorož; Roberto Perocchio, Presidente of Assomarinas; Giovanni Acampora, President of Assonautica; Rodolfo Giampieri, President of Assoporti; Christoph Schladör, Vice President Decarbonisation of Carnival Maritime; Leonardo Massa, Vice President of Southern Europe MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys; Sotir Ben Cipa, President of Saranda Tourism Association; Georgios Vagiannis, Director Newbuild of TUI Cruises; Ana Karina Santini, AVP International Destination Development, Royal Caribbean Group; Sylviane De Tracy, Director Cruise Research & Development of Ponant; Francesca Benati, Senior Vice President of Travel Seller Europe & CEO for Italy of Amadeus; and Manjola Shehu, Marketing and Sales Director of Air Albania.

Adriatic Sea Tourism Report

As per tradition, the forum will open with the presentation of the new edition of the Adriatic Sea Tourism Report, the research document by Risposte Turismo that for more than ten years now has been analysing the flows, dimensions and nature of sea tourism in the Adriatic, and the directions the sector is moving in. The report will unveil initial forecasts for 2025.

Program – 2024 edition of Adriatic Sea Forum

The Adriatic Sea Forum 2024 will offer numerous opportunities for engagement and discussion focusing on questions of key importance for the present and future of sea tourism in the area, such as:

– “Fueling maritime tourism” (looking at the use of more sustainable alternatives);
– “What kind of cruise tourism are we going to have in the Adriatic?” (looking at the evolution of the sector);
– “The impact of public policies and initiatives on maritime tourism in the Adriatic”;
– “Will summer always be the season for maritime tourism in the Adriatic?”; and
– “Sailing the Adriatic (new routes and nautical destinations)”.

The issues set to be tackled by Adriatic Sea Forum 2024 will also include:

– the value of cruises on small-medium ships (“Small cruise ships and alternative itineraries”),
– the possible competition between ferries and air travel (“Is there something ferries can learn from airlines?”),
– the new opportunities for collaboration between countries offered by the Interreg Italy-Croatia 2021-2027 Programme,
– the maritime economy in Emilia-Romagna and for the Adriatic coast, and
– the appeal of the maritime tourism sector for young people entering the job market (“Working in maritime tourism: does this sound like a promising career opportunity?”).

The Adriatic Sea Forum – Cruise, Ferry, Sail & Yacht will be held in English, with translations provided in Italian and Croatian. Participants must register at this link.

The 2024 edition of the forum will be held in collaboration with the Municipality of Ravenna and the Chamber of Commerce of Ferrara and Ravenna, and under the patronage of the European Commission.

Updates, information and details on how to take part can be found on the website adriaticseaforum.com, as well as on X and LinkedIn.

The Greek Travel Pages (GTP)  is a communication sponsor of the 7th Adriatic Sea Forum.