Passenger traffic in the port of Piombino is back to pre-pandemic levels, according to the figures provided by the Port Network Authority’s Studies and Statistics Dept. Over the first seven months of the year, 1.695 million people transited along the Tuscan port’s piers.
During the same period in 2019, there were 1.708 million passengers, just 13 thousand more. There is therefore a percentage difference of just -0.8%. However, compared to 2021, there has been a 21.7% increase with over 300 thousand more passengers.
Likewise, the number of privately-owned vehicles (cars, campers, motorcycles and buses) accompanying passengers transiting through the port is very encouraging. At the end of this first part of the year, 530 thousand vehicles were recorded, a 12.6% increase on 2019 and +15% compared to 2021.
Cruise traffic is also almost back to 2019 levels. With the same number of calls (four in both years being looked at), the number of cruise passengers passing through Piombino port was 5,788 compared to 6,718 in 2019. In percentage terms, the difference is just 13.8.%. Compared to 2021, however, the trend is extremely positive: +100%.
However, the monthly analysis of pax traffic shows that in July there was a slight drop (-4%) in the total number of passengers, compared to last year’s figures. The difference is nothing to worry about, especially if we consider that July and August 2021 were exceptional months; the partial end to the pandemic and the choice of vacations closer to home resulted in even higher numbers than in the same months of 2018 and 2019.
A more detailed analysis also shows that this downturn can be attributed almost exclusively to less passengers on route to/from Sardinia and Corsica.
In fact, the number of passengers embarking and disembarking to/from the Elba Island ports over the first 7 months of the year is encouraging both in comparison with last year and 2019.
At 1,644,847, passengers to/from Elba’s ports, i.e. over 94% of the total traffic, in January-July were up 23.6% from 2021 and 0.8% from 2019.
On the other hand, passenger traffic to/from Sardinia and Corsica fell by -17.8% compared to January-July 2021 and -34.6% in relation to January-July 2019.
“We can only be happy and optimistic about the immediate future,” Port Network Authority President, Luciano Guerrieri, commented
“The analysis of passenger traffic data shows important signs of recovery for the port of Piombino. Ferries are now practically back to pre-pandemic levels, while cruises are gradually approaching 2019 volumes. The numbers show we’re back on the right track.”
Translation by Giles Foster
