2nd Posidonia Forum To Focus on Cruise, Yachting, Passenger Shipping
For two days, Athens will be the meeting place for discussions and debates on the cruise sector’s growth challenge for Greece, Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea, organizer Posidonia Exhibitions said in regards to this year’s 2nd Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum.
The second Posidonia forum will be held 28-29 May 2013 at the Megaron Athens International Conference Center and pick up where the first forum in 2011 left off and widen the thematic scope to address a greater range of marine tourism development issues.
The second forum will explore how niche sectors of the sea tourism industry can upgrade both the East Mediterranean’s and Black Sea’s sea tourism product and review the initiatives launched as a result of the first forum.
Major cruise lines Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Silversea, Costa Crociere, Celebrity Cruises, Paul Gauguin Cruises and Louis Cruises have already committed their presence at the event which additionally has the support of CLIA-Europe and MedCruise.
Also included this year will be an international exhibition focusing on ports & destinations, hotels & resorts, airports, tourist service providers, technical support companies, shipyards, sector publishers, new technologies, yacht managers & brokers, yacht interiors specialists and marinas.
The 2013 Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum will provide a unique platform to evaluate new investment opportunities and meet the leaders of this industry, as the East Mediterranean and the Black Sea will feature very strongly in the future development of sea tourism.
Sea tourism growth: Potential major asset for Greek economy
The Greek cruising and yachting sectors have the combined potential to create more than 40,000 new jobs, according to a recent study undertaken by the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping. The full roll out of the home-porting policy for cruise lines alone can add to the Greek economy annual revenues in excess of 1 billion euros.
“Greece’s unique 16,000 km coastline, the country’s 1,200 islands and 4,800 islets as well as the mild climate are nature’s gifts to Greece, yet the vast potential of these treasures and their contribution to the national economy remains largely untapped due to the absence of a strategic framework to attract investments conducive to the development of a quality and holistic sea tourism product. But this seems to be changing now,” said Theodore Vokos, project director of Posidonia Exhibitions.
To see the forum’s program, click here.