Between 2019 and 2023, maritime enterprises in Italy grew by over 4%, contrasting with an overall decline of 2.2% in the business sector. Women-led activities surged by 7.5%, and tourism-related businesses by 8.9%. Rome leads as the capital of maritime enterprises, followed closely by Naples and Venice. Lazio tops the regions with 34,851 "blue" enterprises, followed by Campania with 32,741 and Sicily with 28,807. According to the Tagliacarne Study Center's analysis of the 12th Blue Economy Report, in collaboration with Unioncamere and other organizations, Italy's Blue Economy comprises nearly 228,000 businesses as of 2023. Nearly half are located in the southern regions, with 48.4% engaged in accommodation and food services. Gaetano Fausto Esposito, Director General of the Tagliacarne Study Center, notes that the Blue Economy shows an inverted growth pattern with the traditionally slower-growing South now leading in entrepreneurial presence. However, overall productivity in the South remains nearly 15% lower than the national average.
If southern businesses matched the productivity and inter-sector connectivity of their northern counterparts, the added value of the maritime economy in the South could increase by approximately EUR 15 billion.
Although 49% of Blue Economy enterprises are in the South, they contribute less than one-third of the sector's total added value. Nearly half of the national maritime system is composed of businesses in accommodation and food services, totaling 110,387 units. This is followed by sports and recreational activities with 34,246 businesses and the fishing industry with 32,199, contributing 15% and 14.1%, respectively. The shipbuilding sector also contributes significantly, with 28,171 businesses accounting for over 12% of the sector. This growth underscores the potential of the Blue Economy to drive regional development, especially in the traditionally less dynamic southern regions, by enhancing productivity and sectoral integration.
