Cruises Italian Tourism: Scenarios and Trends After Global Pandemic — The MSC Case

The global pandemic has had a significant impact on the tourism industry, and the cruise industry is no exception. This article explores future scenarios and trends in Italian cruise tourism in the aftermath of the global pandemic, focusing on the case of MSC Cruises. The cruise industry faced unprecedented challenges during the pandemic, with widespread travel restrictions, health concerns, and suspension of operations. As the world gradually recovers and travel restrictions are relaxed, the industry is poised for a resurgence. We investigate the role of cruise tourism and its economic effects in the Italian tourism economy. Cruise tourism is experiencing a period of great development and, above all, of great change at a time when sustainability of travel has become an increasingly required condition in travelers' choices. The destinations chosen and the ports that host these great giants of the sea become a flywheel for the development of the territories involved, which, only by offering services that live up to the expectations of travelers, manage to capture important flows of money, necessary for the development and implementation of local economies. The role of ports in Italy and the MSC case conclude the work focused on tourism sustainability, with particular regard to the pollution of different environmental matrices.