By Alexia Sotiriou

 

  

 

Greece is the third largest cruise destination country in the Mediterranean, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) said.

 

According to data from the Hellenic Ports Association, 7,003,150 passengers were transported to various port destinations in the country in 2023 with 5,230 cruise ship arrivals, compared to 4,629,650 passengers in 2022 and 4,780 cruise ship arrivals.

 

Speaking at the recent Posidonia International Exhibition, CLIA’s Eastern Mediterranean director, Maria Deligianni, stressed the need for national governments to support ports in terms of infrastructure and management for the development of cruises in our country, which continues to be a rapidly growing destination.

 

She also emphasized that the cruise sector supports the European shipbuilding activity, as 94% of the world’s cruise ships are built in Europe. As she said, we all have to demonstrate this fact, in order to highlight the sector’s contribution to the European economy and to the shipbuilding industry.

 

She added that from 2024 to 2028 we will have 56 new cruise ships of 40 billion euros in value, all of which will be channelled into the European economy.

 

The order book

 

Deligianni said that this year the order book is to deliver 8 new cruise ships built in European yards.

 

Referring to the cruise activity internationally, she said that Greece ranks third in the Mediterranean as a cruise destination, but it is also a rapidly growing industry, despite the fact that it is not in the first preferences of Greeks as a tourist product.

 

More specifically, out of a total of 31.7 million passengers, Greek passengers amount to 15,000.

 

She said that the largest cruise market, representing 44.2%, in the world is the Caribbean, the Bahamas and Bermuda, while the second is the Mediterranean with focus on Italy, Spain and Greece.

 

In terms of nationality, the first place is occupied by the USA and the second by Europe, and more specifically by Germany, England and Italy, which, as Deligianni mentioned, is in the culture of the specific countries to cruise, while they are very fond of our country and its history.Australia and South America follow.