2024 was a record year in Sardinia for MSC Crociere: over 172,000 tourists on the island, 115,000 in Cagliari and 57,000 in Olbia. Numbers linked to the positioning of 3 ships - MSC Lirica, MSC Musica, MSC Orchestra - which will make a total of 67 calls: 46 in the Sardinian capital and 21 in the Gallura port.
The cruise season in Cagliari will officially begin on Sunday 19th with the first call of MSC Musica : it will stop in port every Sunday, for the entire summer season, with around 3,000 passengers on board on a seven-day journey in the Mediteranno with stops also in Civitavecchia , Genoa, Cannes, Barcelona and Ibiza.
«Such high numbers testify to the strategic nature and growing tourist-cultural importance of Sardinia also for the cruise sector - explains Leonardo Massa, vice president of Southern Europe of the cruise division of the MSC group - The island has always been one of the most appreciated destinations by our passengers, especially in the summer period. In 2024 we expect stopovers in Cagliari all year round, also focusing strongly on seasonally adjusted tourism, which fully enhance the unparalleled beauty of the city and the entire Sardinian territory, also providing a significant contribution to the economic development of the territory, structures, activities and of the destinations favored by cruise passengers such as excursion places, museums, shops, bars and restaurants".
«In addition to the possibility of visiting the fortified citadel, the walls and the medieval towers, the program for cruise passengers includes stops at the amphitheater at the foot of Colle del Buoncammino, the Palazzo Regio, the Bastion of Saint Remy or tastings in the typical restaurants of the centre» , adds Massa.
Massimo Deiana, president of the AdSP of the Sea of Sardinia, speaks of " an exciting result achieved thanks also to the trust that the cruise companies , in particular MSC, have wanted to give us with a consistent and constant annual program of calls".
(Unioneonline)
