Greek ports set for growth in cruise tourism

Greek ports are expected to attract more cruise tourists following a rise of about 15 percent both in cruise liner calls and passenger arrivals in 2019, officials have told Xinhua.

Piraeus, Greece’s biggest port, remained the top destination for cruises in Greece for the 10th year in a row, with 622 cruise liners visiting it or leaving it last year, compared to 524 in the previous year.

Piraeus Port Authority anticipates a further increase in 2020, according to its deputy manager for public and investor relations, Nektarios Demenopoulos.

After “very satisfactory growth” in 2019, figures are projected to grow higher in the next years, he said.

Cruise ships will carry more tourists to Greece in the future, Demenopoulos added.

“In 2020 and 2021, we expect a number of vessels with a capacity of 5,000-7,000 passengers each, compared to cruise liners of 2,000-3,000 in the past.”

The port of Iraklio on Crete also projects that cruise tourism will grow in the coming years. Last year it reached its highest figures in a decade, with 204 cruise liners bringing 307,043 passengers.

“In 2020 we expect 212 cruise liners with a capacity of 360,000 passengers, while in 2021 we already anticipate 250 cruise ships with a capacity of 497,000 passengers,” Iraklio Port Authority Chairman and CEO Apollon Philippis told Xinhua.

[Xinhua]