BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 9. EU ports welcomed 395.3 million passengers in 2023, reflecting a 5.8% increase compared to 2022 (374 million), according to Eurostat's latest data, Trend reports.
However, the figures remain 5.5% lower than the pre-COVID passenger levels recorded in 2019.
Italy's ports led the way in passenger traffic, accounting for 22% of the EU total with 85.4 million passengers. Greece followed with 75 million passengers, representing 19% of the EU total, while Denmark recorded 41.2 million passengers, making up 10% of the overall EU traffic.
Of the 21 EU countries with available data, 16 saw an increase in seaborne passengers compared to 2022. Italy, Greece, and France saw the most notable gains, with Italy’s passenger numbers rising by 6.5 million, Greece by 4.8 million, and France by 3.2 million.
The top 10 busiest EU passenger ports handled 22% of all seaborne passengers in the region. These included six Mediterranean ports, three in the Baltic, and one in the North-East Atlantic. Italy’s Messina port remained the busiest with 11.3 million passengers, followed closely by Reggio di Calabria (11.1 million) and Greece’s Piraeus (9.6 million).
When compared to 2019, only three of the top 10 EU ports recorded increases: Palma de Mallorca in Spain (+0.4 million), Reggio di Calabria (+0.2 million), and Piraeus (+0.2 million).