With 250,000 cruise passengers in 2021 against two million expected before the pandemic, the Marseille stopover has suffered heavily from Covid-19.
Even if cruises have resumed in a “confidential manner” since last summer, the sector received good news on Sunday March 6 with the inaugural stopover of the latest addition to the Italian company Costa, the “Costa Toscana”.
This 337 m long giant, fitted out by the greatest Italian design brands, can carry 6,730 passengers and 1,646 crew.
Powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), this liner symbolizes the efforts of the cruise world and the port of Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône) to reduce the impact on the environment and air quality, with the disappearance of particulate emissions, a 20% drop in CO2 and a 99% drop in sulfur dioxide.
Will the Americans come to Europe?
"This boat is the tangible sign of our commitment to cruises and sustainable tourism", assures Mario Zanetti, the president of Costa.
“This is a fundamental step in a longer path which should lead us towards the zero emissions objective.
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“It's a first step towards a neutral, carbon-free and emission-free boat, confirms Jean-François Suhas, president of the Club Croisière de Marseille.
We are continuing our efforts to electrify the quays, we already have four posts in the port, which is unique in Europe.
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Cruise passengers, on the other hand, are worried about the effect of the conflict in Ukraine on their activity.
If the Russians represented 30,000 cruise passengers in Marseille in 2019, American tourists, 400,000 the same year, could well decide not to risk themselves in Europe this year.