A new era for cruise tours in France and Italy

Five key European cruise regions have linked to create sustainable shore excursions to appeal to the passengers on board the variety of niche cruise lines which visit their ports.

The French and Italian destinations of Var Provence,
Corsica, Liguria, Sardinia and Tuscany are part
of this ItinERA project designed to increase their
cruise competitiveness through the USP of a new
range of eco-friendly excursions based on sustainable
development and biodiversity.

Promising immersive experiences for cruise visitors,
these tours concentrate on experiential tourism featuring
outstanding natural sites as well as regional gastronomy
and other local products.

In Var Provence, cruise visitors keen on canoeing,
cycling or tasting organic wine will have the opportunity
to indulge in all three while discovering Les-Arcs-sur-
Argens, which is a coastal river (classifi ed NATURA
2000) crossing the rocky landforms of the Maures
Massif and home to spectacular fl ora and fauna.

Tours can also include a visit to the Gorges du Verdon
which is the largest canyon in Europe – an ideal place
for family swimming or water sports. This area is also
well-known for truffl es which can be tasted in any
number of local dishes using this exceptional product.

On the east coast of Corsica, Bastia now off ers its
cruise visitors a unique city tour where all fi ve senses
will be activated by the experience of sampling the
high-quality local products of this historic town. Further
south, they can spend a day experiencing Mediterranean
gardens, an eco-museum and organic farm.

In Tuscany, a new tour highlights Renzo Piano’s
revolutionary architecture and visits the Etruscan
Exhibition designed by Italo Rota. Cruise visitors can
also enjoy gaining a deeper understanding of the magical
art of wine-making right back to its ancient roots which,
in this area, date back almost three millennia.

The tour concludes with a wine-tasting, enhanced by the
opportunity to admire the great American photographer
and artist David LaChapelle’s work Rapture of the
Grape of Rocca di Frassinello inspired by the estate’s
wines and surrounding landscape.

Beigua UNESCO Global Geopark is the largest
protected natural area of Liguria and it allows visitors
to take part in many land and water sports/activities.
Surrounded by the unique scents of the Ligurian
Apennines, visitors will also discover local products and
taste traditional recipes.

In Sardinia, Oristano is the capital of both local
fl avours and ancient history so is the ideal gateway
for cruise visitors who can tour into a territory fi lled
with natural beauty including lagoons which are
home to numerous rare bird species. Thriving within
these wetlands is a fi sh industry which – together
with confectionery, wine production and handcrafted
ceramics – is the basis of the local economy while also
creating much for visitors to experience and enjoy.
And unique from an archaeological and naturalistic
point of view, the Sinis Peninsula represents a place of
extraordinary scenic beauty.

For all the sites visited on this new range of tours, an
e-learning course has been developed for reception staff .
This will optimise the welcome given to cruise visitors.
The Maritime Italy-France Program

The Interreg Maritime Italy-France Program
2014-2020 is a cross border program co-funded by the
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under
the supervision of the European Territorial Cooperation
(ETC).

The program aims to contribute to the delivery
of the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable
and inclusive growth across the north-central
Mediterranean.

Vous pouvez consulter l'article en pdf dans le magazine en cliquant ici

www.interreg-maritime.eu
Project leader: Cagliari Chamber of Commerce
and Industry (Sardinia)
Communication: Var Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (France)
Other partners:
• Sardinia Regional Council
• Genoa Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• Maremma Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(Tuscany)
• Bastia and Haute Corse Chamber of Commerce
and Industry
• CentraLabs (Center for transport research
and studies)
• GIP-FIPAN (Nice regional education aurthority)
Main goals:
• To inform at least 50 companies per region from
the tourism, leisure and restaurant industry
about the project
• To have at least 10 companies per region to
complete the e-learning module
• To identify two cross-border itineraries in
accordance with two topics:
• The discovery of local products/gastronomy
by tasting/exploring locally sourced products
• The discovery of outstanding natural sites
using a soft mobility option.
• To propose ItinERA excursions on board.
Contact:
Elena Tonon
Communication Offi cer ItinERA
Email: elena.tonon@var.cci.fr
Tel: +33 4 94 22 88 37
www.facebook.com/Itinera.EU/
www.linkedin.com/company/itinera-interreg/
twitter.com/ItinERA_EU
www.interreg-maritime.eu/fr/web/itinera