Blue economy in Italy worth 70 bn euros, 400,000 workers

(ANSA) - ROME, AUG 27 - Italy, with its 7,500 kilometres of coast, has a blue economy sector that contributes an estimated 70 billion euros to the national economy, employing some 400,000 people, according to the latest EU report cited by organizers of the annual Ecomondo exhibition on Tuesday.
    The sector is particularly developed in Liguria, thanks to its shipyards and ports, with an annual turnover of 5 million euros, and in Sicily, where tourism and maritime transport are estimated to be worth 4.5 billion.
    The blue economy will be at the centre of Ecomondo 2024, an event organized by the Italian exhibition group to be held in Rimini, on the Adriatic Sea, on November 5-8.
    This year's event will focus on reducing carbon emissions, the management of marine resources, the promotion of the circular economy and renewable marine energy.
    The blue economy includes traditional sectors like tourism, maritime transport and fishing, as well as offshore wind energy, robotics and artificial intelligence, to cite a few.
    According to data reported by the Italian Exhibition Group, the organizers of Ecomondo 2024, the blue economy is worth globally some 1,300 billion euros and could double by 2030.
    In Europe, it generates a turnover of about 665 billion eruos, representing 5% of the EU's GDP. (ANSA).