Passengers seaports in Italy: specialisation and emerging geography

The paper focuses on recent developments in maritime passenger traffic. The analysis of the literature on the subject that has been carried out shows how the focus on passenger seaports has been relatively limited in recent decades. Consequently, the work intends to investigate the role of ports as strategic nodes for passenger flow handling. This in-depth study highlights the different configurations that port nodes can take depending on the types of flows handled. The aim is to investigate port classification and their passenger specialisation. The case study is the Italian peninsula, whose passenger port specialisation (in the period 2014-2023) is analysed, the resulting geography is outlined and some practical and managerial implications are highlighted.