Greece Evolving into Leading Yachting Destination

Greece is securing a spot on the global map of top yachting destinations following marina upgrades and promotional actions by the government, said Secretary General for Tourism Policy and Development Olympia Anastasopoulou during the 2nd Olympic Yacht Show that took place recently.

 “Greece is already a very popular destination for recreational boating,” said Anastasopoulou, adding that Christies Real Estate has named the Greek islands as the second most popular destination in the world for luxury yachting, after the French Riviera and alongside the Virgin Islands, Palm Beach, Florida, and Costa Esmeralda in Italy.

Secretary General for Tourism Policy and Development Olympia Anastasopoulou.

Anastasopoulou added that further developing the yachting tourism segment was a government priority as was attracting investments in this direction.  “Since the beginning of 2022, we have been making strides in the implementation of our maritime tourism reform agenda and a few weeks ago the Tourist Port Committee met for the fourth time in six months to discuss regulation issues concerning nine tourist ports in Greece,” she said.

The government is “aiming to ensure the conditions for the best possible utilization of the country’s special tourist infrastructure through the creation of a favorable environment that can attract investments… with the ultimate goal of boosting the country’s competitiveness with regard to marine tourism infrastructure,” she said.

In this direction, Anastasopoulou referred to a recently-passed law that speeds up zoning, concession and licensing procedures as well as legalization processes for existing tourist port facilities, allowing more building space within designated tourist ports, allowing tenders and concessions to run before zoning and completion of projects.

Referring to the 2nd Olympic Yacht Show, Anastasopoulou said it placed Greece high on the map of international events as leading shipyards chose to present their new projects for the first time in Greece, “which demonstrates the dynamics of the event and the market”.