The cruise industry will donate to the Major of Venice Mr. Luigi Brugnaro a contribution of more than 1 Million Euros to go towards the restoration effort following the unprecedented flooding in November. The donation is the result of the cruise industry’s commitment to being a partner to the ports and destinations on which they call—in good times and in difficult times.
Donations were made by the leading cruise lines that call in Venice, including Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, Costa Cruises, and Norwegian Cruise Lines, in addition to Global Ports Holding, Venezia Terminal Passeggeri (VTP), and other cruise lines, including Sea Cloud Cruises, all of whom immediately responded to VTP’s call for donations and committed to support the rebirth of the city.
“We followed the events of 12 November with a great amount of concern; it became immediately clear that the situation was very complex and it would take months to calculate the full extent of the damage. We and our cruise line members were struck by the “Venezia nel cuore” (“Venice in your heart”) fundraising initiative and therefore made the decision to provide a concrete contribution to this city that is in the hearts of all of us, our employees, crew, and our passengers. With this spirit and with utmost respect for the city and its inhabitants, we decided not to adopt a specific project, but to entrust to the city’s Mayor a sum that will enable the Municipality to concretely face the immediate and urgent needs of the city and its citizens. Our contribution provides a way for us to sponsor one of the most beautiful cities in the world, as well as demonstrate our deep respect for the city,” said Kelly Craighead, president & CEO of CLIA on behalf of all CLIA Cruise Line members.
“The Mayor Luigi Brugnaro and the President of the Region Luca Zaia have been active, from the very beginning, to secure funds from the Government and to ensure the declaration of a state of emergency, which they achieved in just a few days. However, we were aware that this was not going to be enough: the uniqueness of Venice and the delicate nature of its lagoon environment demand the allocation of major funds and, perhaps, more attention and dedication. From day one, VTP strove to echo the most immediate needs of Venice and found that the operation and the entire segment were indeed ready to provide all the collaboration needed. Although we were aware of the major repercussions, it would have on our business, we promptly arranged for the ships to be deployed elsewhere, over the weekend following the event, to show our respect for the city. Today, we have concrete assistance provided by the cruise industry, which has never failed to support communities that have had to react to environmental and international crises, by providing available resources and skills to overcome times of difficulty. I must in particular thank all the employees of Venezia Terminal Passeggeri, who despite the damage they themselves suffered, were keen to use their energies to ensure that the terminal was operational as soon as possible and to provide their contribution to the city in the hardest days of the flooding,” said Fabrizio Spagna, Chairman of VTP.
“The cruise industry’s support for Venice will not wane, nor will Venice’s importance for all the ports of call and the cities in the Adriatic and Eastern Mediterranean itineraries. We are providing tangible assistance to the Government and local bodies of the Veneto region by supplying technical information, studies, assessments and simulations, in order to ensure that decisions about the future of cruising in Venice are informed, sustainable, and forward-looking. We are equally committed to investing in advanced technology, design, and ‘zero-impact’ solutions to minimize our footprint on the cities and ports that host us. We are aware there is still a lot to do, but our industry has been able to leverage innovation as a major means for growth: we are convinced that the Blue Economy is a major asset for local territories and by joining forces with other stakeholders, we can really make a difference,” declared Adam Goldstein, CLIA Global Chair.
Contributions to date to “Venezia nel cuore” have been received from:
- Costa Cruises
- Global Ports Holding
- MSC Cruises
- Norwegian Cruise Lines
- Royal Caribbean
- Sea Cloud Cruises
- Venezia Terminal Passeggeri