La crociera: mondi sognati e sognanti in navigazione. La motivazione del turista crocieristico

In 2024, the cruise sector reached a new historic milestone: 34.6 million passengers worldwide, with forecasts estimating almost 38 million by the end of 2025. A figure that testifies not only to the strength of this tourism sector but also to the ever-growing charm that the cruise holiday exerts on contemporary travelers. But what are the reasons that push millions of people, whether for a few days or even months, to choose the sea as a privileged setting for their holidays? How do companies manage to build an offer capable of intercepting and amplifying this collective desire? The article aims to explore these questions, interweaving the analysis of the most recent research on the phenomenon with a direct perspective: that of self-observation conducted on board a cruise in the Mediterranean. A double gaze – theoretical and empirical in the field, which I hope will contribute to a deeper understanding of the dynamics of an ever-expanding sector, where the tourist experience coexists with the myth of sea travel.