CE members take part in Porto Maritime Week

CE chair and managing director of Cruise Gate Hamburg, Simone Maraschi, joined Porto Maritime Week in mid September for a conversation around ‘The public value of ports: building the port city culture’ and, in particular, a session dedicated to cruises: ‘Cruises and communities: from acceptance to partnership’.

The event provided a valuable platform for discussing the future of the maritime and port sector, bringing together national and international experts to exchange perspectives on innovation, sustainability, port-city relations and territorial development.

Maraschi was happy to bring Hamburg’s perspective to Porto and, just as importantly, hear how other port cities are approaching this relationship.

“It’s a topic that resonates strongly with me and with Hamburg. Our maritime history is deeply woven into the identity of the city, and the port continues to be an important part of how people experience, understand and connect with Hamburg.

“That relationship with the local community is something we value greatly. As ports continue to evolve, so does our responsibility to keep strengthening that connection, creating dialogue and ensuring that the port remains relevant and valued by the people who call the city home.”

Representing Copenhagen Malmo Port (CMP) in both panel discussions was Luis de Carvalho, cruise commercial director, who cited one of the key takeaways as being: “A strong port-city relationship is not only built on agreements. It is built on understanding”.

Amongst the conclusions reached were that cruising is the most organised and predictable type of tourism there is, allowing and requiring better planning with regard to visitor flows, mobility, capacity and local benefits before challenges arise.

In addition the importance of making cruise part of any destination management plan is critical. Ports, cities and destination organisations need a shared understanding of what kind of tourism they want, to define their expectations and also their realistic capacity. That the ‘more the merrier’ approach, accepted for decades, is no longer suitable.

Carvalho also highlighted the need to make public value tangible in terms of ensuring that the people living in the destination understand the value created by jobs, infrastructure, tourism income, connectivity and sustainability investments. Whilst ports, municipalities, communities and cruise lines operate with different priorities, pressures and planning horizons, understanding the other side of the table is important. Carvalho said: “We don’t always have to agree - but we do have to understand each other’s reality and together work on solutions that ultimately work for everyone.””

Ana Lourenco, cruise manager, Port of Lisbon, added: “It is key to establish good communication channels with all the different stakeholders, which must include the local community, to build trust. Initiatives like ‘all aboard’ can help to build this trust. Informal contact with the community remains a very powerful engagement method, which can complement more formal campaigns.”

Discussing CMP itself, Carvalho commented: “An attractive city and a productive port are not mutually exclusive. The key is creating value and making sure that value is visible, tangible and felt by the community”.

And last but not least, Helena Gomes Fernandes, head of commercial, marketing & communication, Port of Leixoes, which hosted the event, said: The Port of Leixoes played an active role throughout the event, sharing the port authority strategic vision and highlighting initiatives designed to strengthen its connection with the cities of Matosinhos and Porto, enhance its cruise, nautical, research and events capabilities, and reinforce the port’s contribution to economic, social and territorial development.”