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Unsustainable Italian tourist ports: one in four is certified

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Unsustainable Italian tourist ports: one in four is certified

Italian marinas do not make the most of their potential and do not focus on sustainability certifications. This is what is claimed by a study by the University of Genoa (signed by Riccardo Spinelli and Clara Benevolo, associates of Economics and Business Management and by Andrea Ambesi, junior buyer at Liguria Digitale Spa) which will be presented during the days of the Italian Society management scheduled at Bocconi University in Milan from 30 June.

The sample of the ports analyzed

The study analyzed a sample of 255 Mediterranean marinas, 76 of which Italian (with a number of berths ranging between 10 and 1,600) by studying the websites and what they communicate to users. According to the researchers, the website “represents one of the most effective tools for reaching a fragmented, geographically dispersed, often mobile and extremely demanding customer base like that of boaters”.

The sample is made up of ports from Italy (76 ports), Croatia (37), Mediterranean Spain (31), Mediterranean France (27), Turkey (18), Greece (16), Malta (6), Montenegro (6 ), Cyprus (3), Gibraltar (3) and Tunisia (2). A first selection was made by excluding sites that were not translated into English. The researchers’ analysis focused on the ISO certifications received or even the Blue Flags and how they are communicated to users. On a general level, the study notes that «about half of the ports analyzed communicate the possession of at least one certification, although not always specific for the port sector, such as ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.

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The absence of certifications

On the other hand, ISO 13687 and ISO 21406 are practically absent, expressly conceived to certify the quality of ports ». Sore points for Italy where only 26% of the sample has at least one certification. Same figure as France but lower than Croatia (73% with certification) and Spain (50%). Partially compensating for this, “we note the good diffusion of the Blue Flag, achieved recently in more than a quarter of the ports considered”. Overall, “there is a limited commitment of marine managers towards obtaining this type of recognition, with a focus on certifications with a consolidated diffusion and image”.

According to the researchers, there are two reasons, the first of a cultural nature: “We do not understand the potential contribution that certifications can give to the management of the port and its positioning, through such an internal action on the organizational processes and the quality of the services offered. , as much as external to the image of the port in the perception of the customer ».

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