More port calls (282, an increase of 12), but fewer passengers: 660,000, a 4.5% reduction (25,000 fewer) compared to 2024 due to the elimination of Cagliari from the routes of the largest ships, ten fewer calls at Golfo Aranci and the elimination of dock calls at Oristano.

The cruise season in Sardinia's ports ended today, with mixed results. And the port authority that governs them is taking stock: at the beginning of the year, there was talk of an increase, with an expected 700,000 passengers flocking to Sardinia's tourist destinations.

The last ship of 2025 was the Clio, a luxury and cultural vessel operated by the American company Grand Circle Cruise Lines: today it stopped in Arbatax with 67 guests on board.

The decline in Cagliari, Golfo Aranci, and Oristano was largely offset by a 96 percent jump in the port of Olbia, which reached an all-time high of approximately 186,000 passengers. Porto Torres also performed well, with a 4 percent increase, as did Arbatax, which doubled its small ship traffic compared to last year.

The cruise market, the port authority reports, continues to be "a driving force for tourism on the island, especially during low-traffic months and, in particular, considering the luxury and cultural segments, for ports with less accessible infrastructure but great excursion potential."

This is precisely the case with the Clio's last call today in Arbatax. A double call—until yesterday at the port of Cagliari and today at the port of Ogliastra—which, "given the high spending power of guests, has generated, first and foremost, a multiplier of economic benefits during a time of year, November, when the total slowdown in tourism activity in Sardinia is naturally repeated."

A key strength of the Authority's program is "the development of cultural cruise tourism, such as that well represented today by the American company's passengers who, departing from Arbatax, were able to visit the historical and scenic beauties of Ogliastra and Barbagia, and in particular, Orgosolo, for a full immersion in food and wine and a nature experience."

Precisely to encourage dialogue and shared synergy with the local area in the sector, in 2026, two events of the Italian Cruise Day in Tour will be held in Arbatax and Porto Torres.

"We can consider 2025 a year of substantial market alignment with the positive trend of the past three years," explains Domenico Bagalà, president of the AdSP of the Sardinian Sea. "The Sardinian ports system is capable of quickly compensating for market fluctuations thanks to an unparalleled infrastructure and excursion offering, capable of satisfying the demand of the various segments of the sector. My goal, which begins with the essential premise of dialogue with local institutions and operators," Bagalà continues, "is to create fruitful opportunities for discussion to develop strategies capable of definitively closing the seasonality gap, starting, precisely, with cultural cruises, whose purpose is precisely to go beyond established destinations by involving the greatest possible number of territories, thus laying the foundations for a stable and lasting tourism market."

Enrico Fresu

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