With three months still to go to the end of 2023, Grandi Navi Veloci has posted a strong balance sheet in 2023.
Four new ships to be delivered from 2024
Having celebrated its 30 years of activity, the MSC Group company continues to play a leading role in Italy’s marine passenger and car transport sector. "The big news for 2024,- says Matteo Della Valle, passenger sales and marketing staff director, - will be the arrival of the first of the four new ships under construction in Chinese shipyards. These will be state-of-the-art craft in terms of both the customer experience on board and energy efficiency and will be delivered every six months.” An initial estimate puts this investment at half a billion euro, a figure not yet confirmed by GNV which is currently evaluating on which route the first new ship will be positioned.
“Last minute sales and ad hoc promotions led to a realignment of the results”
"Although 2022 is considered an annus mirabilis in terms of volumes for Italy’s maritime transport, also thanks to less competition due to some post-Covid resistance to travel abroad, demand and volumes have held in 2023 and we registered a slight growth in volumes compared to 2022. Demand was particularly strong from Italy as well as from Germany, Switzerland, France and Austria. Sales went very well from October 2022 to May 2023. Then the demand slackened somewhat as we had to deal with new destinations, the cost of living and the many promotions on the market. However, last minute sales and some ad hoc promotions led to a realignment of the results.”
Adding dog-friendly cabins and services
For the autumn/winter season GNV’s Sardinia route will end, but the historic Genoa-Palermo, Naples-Palermo and Civitavecchia-Palermo will continue to operate, as well as routes to Morocco, Tunisia, Albania and the Balearic Islands. As far as on-board services are concerned, "We realized that more customers are travelleing with their dogs. In 2022 more than 73,000 animals boarded our ferries, some 60% more than the previous year, so we are increasing dedicated services like ad hoc cabins and dog runs. And, until December, passengers on all our 25 ships with the name Mediterraneo will find the cake created by Chef Damiano Carrara exclusively for our 30th anniversary in our self-services and restaurants.”
Elite Premium for agents with best seasonal results
Grandi Navi Veloci’s relationship with the trade is fundamental for its growth. "From this year there will be an even more elite cluster: the Elite Primium. We will highlight the ten Italian and foreign travel agents with the best seasonal results for payment efficiency, and they will be able to access further advantages, discounts and special benefits.”
