The first in-person meeting of the international Cruises & Port Cities Working Group, which is a partnership between MedCruise and International Association of Cities and Ports (AIVP), was held Feb. 19-20, 2026, in Taranto, Italy.

Around 30 port city professionals and experts from Italy, Spain, France, Greece and Portugal gathered for the occasion.

Launched in 2021, the initiative promotes dialogue, best practices and cooperation between cruise ports and cities, to support more sustainable and inclusive destination management.

According to a statement, the meeting focuses on topics such as governance, mobility and community engagement, with workshops addressing tourism flow management and collaborative approaches between port–city stakeholders and cruise companies.

Hosted by the Port System Authority of the Ionian Sea (AdSPMI), the two-day program started with an official press conference at the Ketos Center.

In the opening session, MedCruise President and President of the Corfu Port Authority, Theodora Riga, highlighted the importance of a collaborative approach to cruise development.

“It is a huge honour to be in Taranto and to contribute to the important work being carried out in support of sustainable port-city relations,” said Riga.

“Cruise development is seen differently depending on perception and our role is to work towards a shared and balanced vision.”

AIVP Secretary General, Francesca Morucci, said the first phase of the work that led to the publication of the Cruise Port City Compass demonstrated the value of collaboration between the two associations.

This strategic document outlines practical solutions, key challenges, and case studies for managing cruise-related urban issues sustainably.

The synergy between the AIVP’s port-city approach and the cruise industry vision of MedCruise is believed by Morucci to be a crucial part of the second stage.

The second phase focuses on two areas.

The first if governance and citizens’ engagement, i.e. how cruise companies can contribute more actively to the social and civic life of port cities.

The second is flow management and mobility, or solutions for managing passenger flows and reducing congestion in urban settings.

Port cities face complex challenges, such as the need to ensure sustainability, balance socioeconomics impacts, manage flows, strengthen relationships with local communities, among others, Morucci continued.

According to her, these need to be tackled with a common language, knowledge sharing and systematic experiences and solutions in support of a more balanced and sustainable development of the sector.

The venue for the second day was the National Archaeological Museum of Taranto (MArTA), including an Open Lab session with local stakeholders.