Year’s first cruise ship expected in Thessaloniki on Saturday

The first cruise ship for 2022 is expected to dock at the port of Thessaloniki on Saturday, Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias said on Wednesday after a working meeting with Fraport Greece and Thessaloniki Port Authority (OLTH) officials. 

The arrival of the first cruise ship at the beginning of February, the minister said, points to the expansion of the tourist season and the cruise industry, which is so important for northern Greece and a strategic goal for the country. 

Meanwhile, the quality upgrade of Greece’s tourism product is progressing rapidly with the improvements to the OLTH port facilities. 

Kikilias announced that with the cooperation of the Tourism Ministry, Fraport and OLTH, the check-in and transfer of luggage for travelers going from the Makedonia airport to the port will be arranged by Fraport and OLTH. The same will happen for the luggage of cruise ship passengers planning to continue their journey from Makedonia airport. 

As he pointed out, such services help improve Greek tourism, also giving visitors to Thessaloniki more time to spend exploring the city’s hotels, shops and restaurants. 

“Such synergies, combined with the upgrading of infrastructure, enhance our tourism product and bring more revenue, which is shared not only with port or Fraport investors, but mainly with the average Greek family and the hundreds of thousands of people working in tourism,” Kikilias stressed.