Greece Eyes Over €1.1 Billion from Cruise Activities in 2023
Greece this year eyes over 1.1 billion euros from increasing homeporting activity and addition of new port of call destinations, according to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).
Prior to the highly anticipated Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum, CLIA in March released data revealing that Greece, which is at the forefront of European cruising, is poised to enjoy an increase in economic impact from the industry.
According to the data, Piraeus, the country’s leading seaport, is expected to exceed one million passengers in 2023.
“In 2021, Greece achieved an unprecedented economic impact of 1.1 billion euros from cruise activities, compared to 957 million euros in 2019,” CLIA said.
Greece at the front line
More into the data, the cruise sector in 2021 supported 315,000 jobs in Europe, with 15,100 of those jobs based in Greece.
“Greece led the world with a swift and safe resumption of cruising during the pandemic and saw a significant increase in homeporting, leading to cruise lines purchasing goods and services from port suppliers,” said CLIA.
Also, passengers in Greece spent longer periods in port cities and overnight stays in local hotels, contributing to the increase of the economic impact due to longer stays of ships in port to carry out technical work.
The data was released prior to the 7th Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum, organized by Posidonia Exhibitions SA, which will be held during April 25-26 in Thessaloniki.
Posidonia Exhibitions SA Managing Director Theodore Vokos said that the forum taking place outside Athens is an exciting development that will potentially further enhance cruising in Greece.
“The Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum provides a unique opportunity for industry leaders to come together in Greece’s second biggest city and discover the potential of new destinations,” Vokos said.
According to Vokos, with new cruise terminals set to be built in Souda, Chania, after 2024, the planned expansion of the Piraeus cruise terminal, and Thessaloniki’s growing potential as an additional cruise hub, “the industry’s growth is set to continue in Greece for the years to come”.
Forum to examine trends on economic impact of cruising industry
The 7th Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum will focus on “The Return to Growth: Challenges ahead for Cruise Lines and Destinations” and promises to be a hub for discussions about the future of the cruise industry and its continued positive impact on the economy. The forum will feature a high-profile line-up of speakers that will focus on a number of key issues.
CLIA predicts that the cruise sector in 2023 will attract up to 33 million passengers, significantly exceeding the 29.7 million recorded in 2019, the last year before the pandemic.
The association highlights that the value of cruise tourism cannot be overstated, with every 24 cruise guests equating to one full-time job and each guest spending on average 660 euros in port cities during a typical seven-day cruise.
Furthermore, 60 percent of people that have taken a cruise have since returned to a destination they first visited on a cruise ship, hence each cruise is basically a self-funded fam trip.
The CLIA Global Market Report 2020 shows that 85 percent of millennials plan to cruise again, followed by Gen-X (82 percent), Gen-Z (79 percent), Baby Boomers (77 percent), and Traditionalists (73 percent).
The Greek Travel Pages (GTP) is a media sponsor for the Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum.