(Finance) – By aggregating and integrating the different economic, commercial, productive, tourist and energy activities related to the sea, the 25% of the national GDP. A quarter of the Italian economy, directly or indirectly, finds its cohesion factor and its natural habitat in the sea: this is the data collected in an instant report developed by Nomisma Marethe new division of Nomisma created precisely to fill a chronic void also in the economic, political and social analysis of the country.
In the tourism sector alone, the sea sector, at the top of the choices of both foreign and Italian tourists, it represents over 60% of the global tourist flow which in Italy accounts for 6% of the national GDP. The so-called satellite account, the one that takes into account the entire tourism industry, makes maritime tourism jump over 9%. Moreover, over 6.6 million Italian citizens live on the islands in Italy, who each year welcome 26 million tourists by sea.
The maritime cluster, that which includes shipping companies, shipping agents, shippers and ports, on the other hand, exceeds 2% of GDP, but jumps to 9% if we include the entire logistics chain that hinges on ports. And it is precisely on logistics that the competitiveness of the national economic and production system depends, also considering that 63.7% of Italian imports and 50% of exports pass by sea. The “motorways of the sea” transport 1.5 billion vehicles every year, lightening land transport with a saving of external costs (primarily pollution) of 297 million a year.
“In the industrial sector” – underlines Nomisma Mare, through the president of its Steering Committee, Gian Luca Galletti – “Italy is a world leader both in the construction of cruise ships and in that of yachts (more than 400 under construction today) with an incidence on GDP of over 5%. Fincantieri alone, which has designed and built 7000 ships, boasts a turnover of 5.9 billion and has 97 new ships in booklets ”.
Furthermore, Italy is third in the world for aquaculture with 800 plants, mto also hub of a network of gas pipelines, power lines, and cables for data transmission. In the country there are over 200 entrepreneurial associations engaged in the sea sector, in addition to environmental organizations, sector unions.
However, there is a heavy downside: our country has lost by erosion, in the last 50 years, 35 million square meters of coastline, with an economic damage exceeding 45 billion eurosItalian fishing, also due to inadequate management of territorial waters, is in constant decline. Europe is second only to China in marine plastics pollution.
“On the other hand, Italy, which would have an essential geopolitical function – affirms Bruno Dardaniglobal coordinator of Nomisma Mare – is the natural Mediterranean garrison and what is happening both in the Middle East and in North Africa generates unexpressed opportunities ”.
Italy boasts 7,900 kilometers of coastline, two islands among the largest in the Mediterranean, archipelagos of smaller islands, a geopolitically strategic position in the Mediterranean. Yet, perhaps with the sole historical exception of the Maritime Republics, Italy is, at least until today, a country that is anything but marine.
The new shift of the economic and commercial axis towards the south and therefore the recovery of the centrality of the Mediterranean are opening up, – underlines Nomisma mare – a historic opportunity for Italy: that of pooling its resources in the name of that added value which is called the sea and especially to create the foundations to allow dialogue between them.
“Today the sea for Italy means competitiveness of its economic and productive structure – he concludes Piero Gnudi, president of Nomisma – quality of the tourist offer, commercial exchanges, way out of the energy crisis accelerated by the war in Ukraine. But also much, much more ”.