Adriatic maritime tourism is set for new growth, according to the new edition of the Adriatic Sea Tourism Report, presented last month by Riposte Turismo.
More than 5.1 mill cruise passengers are forecast for 2025 (+3.9% compared to 2024), and more than 3,400 port calls (+5.8% compared to 2024). Ferries, hydrofoils and fast catamarans are predicted to rise by 2% this year, compared to 2023, a trend expected to continue in 2025 (over 21 mill passenger movements forecast).
More than half a million nautical tourist movements were recorded in the Adriatic in 2024, driven by the eastern side and with significant margin for growth.
In the three-year period 2024/2026, investments of more than €390 mill are expected in the Adriatic’s maritime tourism infrastructure.
A moderate rise in the number of cruise passengers and tourists travelling on ferries, and new investments in preparation for a subsequent phase of significant growth for all components of maritime tourism in the Adriatic, is expected.
This report was presented during the opening session of the seventh Adriatic Sea Forum – cruise, ferry, sail & yacht, devised and organised by Risposte Turismo this year in partnership with the Port of Ravenna Authority (pictured).
“In the light of the data that have emerged from our analysis, maritime tourism in the Adriatic is indeed a consolidated phenomenon, which in 2025 will continue to experience moderate but constant growth,” explained Risposte Turismo President, Francesco di Cesare.
“I believe these results are due in particular to the rich tourist offer of the area, not only in the light of its historical and artistic heritage and scenery, but also in terms of the infrastructures and services it offers.
“This increasingly attractive offer is partly thanks to the significant investments we are continuing to see from both private enterprise and public administrations.
“All this encourages both domestic and international operators to commit to this area, and encourages tourists to consider the Adriatic as a possible holiday destination.
“Here at Risposte Turismo, we believe it is always important to draw attention to the significant gap that remains between the current results and the potential of the area, a gap that can be bridged in particular through a joint effort to promote the area, and all of us – private operators and public decision-makers, national tourist promotion agencies and individual local councils – must work together to foster the development of the Adriatic brand,” di Cesare concluded.
These forecasts are the result of projections carried out by Risposte Turismo based on estimates regarding more than 20 cruise ports in the Adriatic, which in 2024 accounted for 84% of the total passenger movements estimated and 83% of port calls.
Italy continues to top the Adriatic cruise rankings, but the largest increases are being recorded by the countries on the eastern side of the sea.
With regard to cruise traffic per country, the study expected Italy to continue to head the list in 2025, with 2 mill passenger movements, a stable situation compared to 2024.
However, in terms of cruise calls, top of the list will once again be Croatia, totalling around 1,390 ( plus 5.5% compared to 2024).
Risposte Turismo researchers expected Albania and Montenegro to record the highest growth in 2025, with 70,000 (+235%) and 760,000 passenger movements (+16% compared to 2024), respectively.
Of the individual ports, Corfu, Kotor and Venice are the top cruise ports in the area. Corfu remains the top port (750,000 passenger movements, +3% compared to 2024), followed by Kotor (615,000, +1% compared to 2024) and Venice (with 560,000, +3.7% compared to 2024), which, as in 2024, will be competing with Dubrovnik for third place.
In the top 20 Adriatic ports, especially worthy of note is the growth anticipated in the Albanian port of Sarandë, where around 70,000 passengers are expected in 2025 (+260% compared to 2024), and at Bar, in Montenegro, where passenger movements are expected to top 145,000 (+203% compared to 2024).
Ferries will see a further slight increase in passenger movements next year compared to 2024. The ports of Split (5.7 million passenger movements, +2.5% compared to 2024), Igoumenitsa (3.1 million passenger movements, +2%) and Zadar (2.7 million, +2%) will remain the top three.
Overall, ferry, hydrofoil and fast catamaran traffic is expected to grow again slightly next year, bringing the total towards 21 mill passenger movements (excluding internal routes in Croatia).
Risposte Turismo’s research team also identified investments of more than €390 mill under way or planned for the construction of maritime tourism infrastructures in the Adriatic during 2024/2026.
Of this, €200 mill is destined for the cruise & ferry sector, and specifically for the construction of new terminals and maritime stations.
This includes the following: the new Porto Corsini maritime station in Ravenna, by 2026, with a total investment of €46 mill; the inauguration of the second maritime station in Bari, with a total investment of €8 mill, and the construction of the cruise terminal in Marghera, with an investment of more than €67 mill, planned by the end of 2028.
On the eastern Adriatic coast, work is about to begin in Slovenia on the construction of the new cruise terminal at Koper, with an investment totalling €3 mill (expected for spring 2025).
