Cruise & Ferry Itinerary Planning 2020

destination may be rediscovered from different angles, by benefitting from our shore excursions that offer the possibility of living the experience from different perspectives,” says Alovisi. “We are always looking to expand possibilities for our repeater guests, thus we design longer itineraries in order to be able to add different and new Mediterranean ports.” Judging which ports to keep, add and drop is a continuous juggle for every planner. “The itinerary design process takes into consideration various aspects that we then combine to guide us towards the decision to add or drop destinations,” says Alovisi. “Importantly, we take into consideration the technical operational needs connected to the infrastructural feasibility of the port or destination.” The line goes to great lengths to understand guests’ opinions of destinations. “They’re all tracked via our comment forms and continuously monitored, and we’re very thorough in our market research of new destinations,” says Alovisi. The Mediterranean is a particularly competitive port market but when the world has beaten the virus, growth and opportunities will return. Alovisi encourages collaboration to underpin a cruise business strategy. “The greatest opportunity to reach lofty goals is through the collaboration between all stakeholders involved in the industry, such as ports, tour operators and authorities. Only by cooperating among cruise operators and the destination may we further improve guests’ satisfaction levels during the whole vacation,” says Alovisi, “We need to evolve and enrich procedures, infrastructure and industry- wide projects.” While the itinerary design process takes countless variables into consideration, there is one metric that matters more than anything else: “The ultimate goal is high guest satisfaction. Every port that we add to our itineraries must have an excellent score from our guest ratings,” says Alovisi. CFIP Itineraries to Mykonos and other Greek islands are popular with guests MEDITERRANEAN: INTERV IEW 5 8 Enter a new dimension where time and space merge into eternal moments. TUSCANY A NEVER-ENDING RENAISSANCE The North Tyrrhenian Port Network Authority is responsible for coordinating, controlling and promoting the ports of Livorno, Piombino, Portoferraio, Rio Marina, Cavo and Capraia. Together they handle over 42 million tonnes of goods and 9 million passengers a year. While Rio Marina, Cavo and Capraia are mainly ferry ports, Portoferraio and the multipurpose ports of Livorno and Piombino also specialize in cruise traffic, offering excellent road, rail and international airport links.