by Paris Tsirigotis

Greece’s cruise sector will present record passenger numbers in 2024 and 2025, as Greece is one of the most popular destinations, while the ongoing crisis in the Red Sea is leading many companies to change destinations.

The president of the Union of Cruise Ship Owners and Shipping Agencies, Giorgos Koumbenas, speaking to “Naftemporiki”, estimated that this year the number of cruise passengers in our country will be increased by approximately 20% compared to 2023, which ended with 6,988.015 passengers and 5,231 cruise ship arrivals.

He also emphasized that in 2025 the sector will show an increase of approximately 22%, since the conditions are favorable for our country due to geopolitical developments.

It is noted that currently 57% of the annual cruise traffic (in number of passengers) is concentrated in Piraeus, Santorini and Mykonos.

According to the latest data, the port of Piraeus with 761 cruise ship arrivals had 1,484,788 passengers in 2023, Santorini with 800 approaches 1,298,968 passengers and Mykonos with 749 arrivals 1,192,822 passengers.

In an effort to deal with the issue of hypertourim as well as the lack of infrastructure on the islands – especially the popular ones, such as Santorini and Mykonos – the ministries of Shipping, Tourism and Environment, are planning to proceed with the creation of a special disembarkation fee per passenger, regulating the market as a whole and absorbing the negative experiences of visitors and the burden on local communities.

CLIA has already advised the Greek government to improve cruise tourism practices and develop sustainable strategies, including a commitment to maintain the daily limit of 8,000 passengers for the island of Santorini.

Union of Cruise Ship Owners proposes measures to tackle overtourism

The Union of Cruise Ship Owners proposed measures that must be taken for the movement of millions of passengers – tourists in a way that avoids the problem of hypertourism.

The number of ships approaching Greek ports for this year is estimated to reach 5,500 ships, with the number of passengers – tourists exceeding 6 million.

More specifically, it proposed:

-The creation of a national plan – strategy for the development of the cruise.

-The faithful implementation of the cruise ship berth allocation control system with criteria to be defined by the competent local authorities.

-The cooperation with the representatives of the management companies, for the development of additional points of interest in the important cruise destinations.

-The increase in port fees should be done gradually, with a warning to users at least one year before the start of their application.

-The improvement of infrastructure, where required, with a view to preserving the character and sustainable development of the destination.

-Measures for the protection of the environment which are a top pursuit of the cruise industry.

-The protection of passengers – tourists from the high temperatures created by the climate crisis, with the construction of lounges in the ports, suitably air-conditioned.