Maritime transport of passengers as a factor of economic local development

Abstract

The increasing request of competitiveness in the maritime transport, marked by highly capital- intensive activities, implies the necessity to reach greater levels of efficiency. In an extremely dynamic and changeable environment, it is very important to determine the crucial factors of port competitiveness, which make the port more “attractive” both for the distribution of goods and for passengers. In particular, as far as passenger transportation is concerned, the main elements that contribute to increase port “attractivity” and to implement local spillovers, are: adequate infrastructure endowment, strong inclination to change, flexible and market oriented decision-making strategies and availability of value-added services. Aim of this paper is to analyse the role of these factors in enhancing the development of the port of Bari in the cruise sector, which is, at the present, a market in strong growth, especially in Mediterranean area, and represent a source of revenue for the localeconomy.