The Marella Voyager, a Marella Cruise ship, arrived in Piombino for the first time this morning.
234 metres long and 32 metres wide, it is the latest addition to the British shipping company’s fleet, a 13-deck ship with 952 cabins and 1830 passengers on board, mostly all British nationals over 60.
The Marella Voyager offers a seven-day Mediterranean cruise, with an itinerary involving six ports: Palma de Majorca, Piombino, Savona, Calvi (Corsica), Marseille, Tarragona (Spain).
The town’s top authorities and institutions were there to welcome the vessel: the mayor Francesco Ferrari, municipal councillor Sabrina Nigro, and Port Network Authority senior executive Roberta Macii were all present at the ‘Maiden Call’ ceremony.
“Our relationship with Marella Cruises today allows Piombino’s port to consolidate last year’s results and to face the crucial challenges ahead with renewed commitment,” said Port Network Authority president Luciano Guerrieri. “Our top priority is still to develop , in synergy with the operators and other institutions, a series of excursions that enable tourists to get to know and appreciate the beauty of our local area.”
The 2023 cruise calendar currently totals 12 calls, three more than last year. The numbers show that the cruise industry is beginning to recover. They represent a starting point for planning the work that the local community will have to do over the next few years to improve the quality of the services on offer.”
“It has been a pleasure to personally welcome the Marella Voyager to our town,” said the Mayor Francesco Ferrari, It demonstrates how Piombino is increasingly establishing itself as a popular, sought-after tourist destination. Our Municipality, together with the Port Authority and trade associations, is working daily on developing a network to offer cruise passengers an increasingly rich experience with services worthy of a quality tourist destination. We welcome the captain, his crew and all the passengers, hoping that their visit to Piombino will be an enchanting, pleasant experience.”
“The arrival of cruise passengers in the town is an opportunity for local business and for our tourist sector,” commented Councillor for Productive Activities and Tourism Sabrina Nigro, “thanks to thousands of passengers converging on our town centre and the most attractive destinations in our area. This creates synergy, innovative initiatives and proposals, and the entire hospitality system has the opportunity to creatively provide a variety of services for tourists, thanks in part to the impetus from our municipal administration’s network with other institutions. This is why it is a great pleasure for us to greet the Marella Voyager and all her passengers, knowing that our town will be able to provide a warm welcome for them.
Translation by Giles Foster
