15 April 2008
South Corsica's capital Ajaccio is expecting no less than 400,000 cruise passengers this year, and a further 50,000 among the three other major ports in the region, Propriano, Porto-Vecchio and Bonifacio.
Since 2000, the total of tourists cruising to South Corsica has more than doubled from 271,086 passengers to last year's 417,826 people.
Ajaccio's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) intends to increase tourist accommodation in the region to make of Ajaccio a major destination for cruise passengers, Paul Grimaldi, CCI assistant general manager and south Corsica's ports director, told Corse Matin.
The city of Napoleon currently boasts the only pier in the region able to receive cruisers of up to 270 metres and will soon increase its capacity to 330 metres.
The €17.5 million project will be partly financed by the CCI and partly by the European fund, and the new pier will be ready for the next tourist season.
The region also plans to extent its tourist season and attract more visitors over the winter months from December to March.
