By Dr. Gil Feiler and Danny Haber
Tourism is a mainstay of the economy of Corsica, a stunning island in the Mediterranean. Sea travel has been a major contributor to the growth in Corsica tourism over recent years, and will drive even higher growth in the decade to come. The geographic conditions of the island, and the rise of a strong and capable local ferry services provider, have combined to give a vital boost to the local economy.
Corsica offers unspoiled coasts and mountains on an island that is large enough to support large-scale tourism but small enough to retain a strong brand identity. In an era of rising temperatures, Corsica is expected to lure away a growing part of the established tourism to Spain and Italy due to its better weather conditions.
However, tourism's importance to the Island's economic development and well-being goes beyond the direct remittances, as flourishing tourism also contributes to the ingraining of a positive image for Corsica, thereby removing negative perceptions of risk and encouraging non-tourism investment to the island as well.
One of the most important aspects in developing overseas tourism has always been travel to and from the holiday destination. Speed, cost and efficiency are each "make or break" factors. From this aspect, Corsica enjoys a unique advantage. Its location makes it easily accessible to the European mainland, and cheap sea-travel is a practical choice for vacationers: transit time is relatively short (faster then air travel to the Caribbean, for example), sea access adds to the "Island" feel of the Corsica brand perception among tourists, and the price is highly competitive.
Sea travel is also set to enjoy growing competitive advantages over air travel in coming years, as environmental concerns keep rising and as oil prices continue their inevitable upwards spiral. The much lower pollution per passenger/mile and the greater economic efficiency will continue to promote sea travel over the next decade. This in turn will add significantly to the growth of mainland tourism to Corsica over these coming years.
The figures are telling: Whereas in January-February low season sea travel accounts for roughly 40% of total passengers to and from Corsica (in the years 2008-2010), during the height of the tourism season in July and August sea travel accounts for about 73% of passengers every year.
It is also worth looking beyond these dry figures to note the impact that single players can have on an entire market. In the case of Corsica, the growing success of local company Corsica Ferries over the years has been a key driver to tourism growth and prosperity for the entire island.
Corsica Ferries is an anomaly in the Corsican landscape: most local business are small, with an average size of under 10 employees per business - contrast against this the thousands of people employed by Corsica Ferries.. The company's grass-roots start from a single boat in 1967 also goes against a growing trend of accepted wisdom: that in today's globalized age, local companies can no longer grow in the face of established multinationals, and will inherently be limited to a second-tier status, usually confined to their home market. Today, Corsica Ferries carries 65% of passengers to and from its home island, on a fleet of 14 ships.
Established by native Pascal Lota, Corsica Ferries is managed by another Corsican, Pierre Mattei . The firm provides a great example of how focused and sound management can enable local companies to grow quickly, compete effectively on the international market, and make a significant contribution to local economies within a relatively short period of time.
Corsica Passenger Traffic 2008-2010 | |||||
January to August | Ships |
| Aircraft |
| Total |
2008 | 3,409,404.00 | 64% | 1,944,786.00 | 36% | 5,354,190.00 |
2009 | 3,632,196.00 | 64% | 2,011,112.00 | 36% | 5,643,308.00 |
2010 | 3,733,902.00 | 65% | 2,045,397.00 | 35% | 5,779,299.00 |
