Cruises, they generate 55 billion in the EU and 14 in Italy

Over €55 billion (55.3) and 400 thousand jobs: this is how much the cruise industry generates in Europe, according to the Made in Europe report, released by Clia, the international association of cruise companies. Italy accounts for 14.7 billion, about a quarter, and almost 100 thousand jobs. The report explains that, over the next 12 years, 72 of the 76 new cruise ships built in the world (97%) will be built in European shipyards, 40 of which in Italy alone (52.6%), with an overall investment of 57 billion Euro.

According to the study, cruising accounts for 80 per cent of the value of commercial ship orders for European shipyards and involves European companies in the entire value chain, from suppliers of steel hull plates to high-tech on-board equipment and interior fittings.

More than 80 per cent of the supplies used by Meyer Werft shipyards, for example, come from European companies; a ship built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique, in Saint-Nazaire, is composed almost entirely of European materials (70 per cent from France, 28 per cent from the rest of Europe); Fincantieri, for its part, employs 10,000 people in Italy and generates at least another 90,000 jobs. Furthermore, relations between supplier companies and companies tend to stabilise over time. In Greece, of the 110 supplier companies of the Panhellenic ship suppliers & exporters association, 90 have been supplying cruise ships for more than 20 years.

'Europe,' says Samuel Maubanc, Director General of Clia Europ, 'is a world leader in the construction of complex and innovative ships, and cruise shipping is a fundamental part of this industrial cluster. Considering that almost all the world's cruise ships are built in European shipyards, the sector is fundamental for Europe to remain competitive and maintain this industrial excellence. The sector is also a driver of innovation because it invests, today, in new technologies and new sustainable energy solutions that will apply to the entire maritime sector in the future'.

The economic impact of the cruise industry, the report continues, does not end with the launch of a ship but continues for decades, multiplying the construction value of the ship itself. According to Clia, in Europe there are more than 350 ports (of which 60 in Italy) and, every time a ship docks in one of these, it generates development of coastal communities and suppliers in the area, also because the companies are committed to using and spreading local products. Cruise passengers are also a source of direct expenditure, which is, on average, €700 per passenger, in port cities during a seven-day cruise; and which in Italy totals €1.4 billion per year.