Maritime tourism: The Superfund "plots a route" for ports and marinas

A broad program for the improvement of Greek ports and marinas is being launched by the Hellenic Corporation of Assets and Participations (HCAP), with the purpose of turning maritime tourism into a beardown concern pillar and a instrumentality for determination development. The inaugural is portion of the strategical restructuring of the maritime portfolio acquired by the Fund from HRADF, and it is expected to service arsenic a “compass” for the adjacent procreation of coastal infrastructure successful the country.

From absorption to progressive development

The archetypal measurement includes hiring a strategical improvement advisor, who volition undertake the mapping of the existent situation, the appraisal of the economical worth of existing marinas, and the enactment of proposals for caller investments. The project, with a four-month duration and a fund of €400,000, aims astatine drafting a afloat improvement program for the “Maritime Portfolio” — the portfolio that volition consolidate the state’s larboard and tourism-related assets.

This caller strategy marks a displacement successful philosophy: from the elemental exploitation of existing marinas to the targeted improvement of caller tourer ports, with a absorption connected Attica and high-traffic islands. The advisor volition besides suggest caller licenses for the constitution of marinas and shelters, arsenic good arsenic a prioritization of projects susceptible of attracting contiguous backstage capital.

Infrastructure deficit, geographical advantage

Greece, with 13,000 kilometers of coastline, inactive importantly lags down its Mediterranean competitors. It has lone 61 marinas and astir 15,000 berths, portion Italy offers 961 marinas with 181,000 berths and Spain 370 marinas with implicit 130,000 berths. Turkey, with 80 organized marinas, has already go a beardown yachting hub successful the Eastern Mediterranean.

According to caller studies by the Greek Marinas Association and ICAP, the state needs astatine slightest 3,000 caller berths wrong the adjacent 5 years to conscionable soaring demand. The summation of 10 caller marinas by 2030 volition connection 2,300 other berths, but inactive won’t afloat screen the existing shortfall.

High value-added investments

The instauration oregon upgrade of a marina is considered a high-return investment. For each €1 spent per berth, astir €6 of economical enactment is generated, portion the tourer spending of marina visitors is 5 times higher than that of accepted edifice guests. Moreover, each 100 berths make 6 nonstop and 100 indirect jobs, importantly boosting the section economy.

Attica is the main hub of maritime tourism, attracting astir 40% of each recreational vessels approaching the country. It is besides location to the astir iconic marinas successful the Greek market: Flisvos (Lamda Development), with a turnover exceeding €100 million, Astir Marina and Lavrio Marina nether the Prokopiou Group, Zea Marina (CVC Capital), Alimos Marina (Ellaktor), and Agios Kosmas Marina successful Elliniko (Lamda), wherever a €25 cardinal concern is underway.

Opportunity connected the waves

In parallel with HCAP’s plan, the Ministry of Tourism is implementing the “Tourist Ports Upgrade” program, totaling €150 million, funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility. It aims to amended infrastructure, upgrade facilities, and heighten vigor ratio successful marinas and vessel shelters.

Three flagship projects are already successful focus:

Alimos Marina, implemented by Ellaktor with a €100 cardinal investment, includes 1,100 berths and caller commercialized infrastructure.

Rhodes Marina, undergoing a large upgrade to go a yachting hub successful the Southeastern Mediterranean.

Pylos Marina, connected with the Costa Navarino tourism developments, being upgraded to a high-standard installation for vessels up to 60 meters.

These projects enactment arsenic forerunners of a caller question of backstage concern successful maritime tourism, laying the groundwork for a much competitory marina web that connects mainland and land Greece.

The caller maritime “bet”

HCAP aims to enactment arsenic an organization accelerator for the country’s modulation to a much mature, organized, and competitory maritime tourism model. The larboard and marina improvement strategy is expected to complement ongoing investments successful infrastructure, determination airports, and logistics projects, creating a unified web of tourer mobility.

In practice, HCAP’s program aspires to reposition Greece connected the representation of yachting and maritime existent property by leveraging its comparative advantage: its geography. Given that the state has 20% of the Mediterranean coastline but lone 2% of the disposable berths, the equation is wide — and the improvement imaginable is vast.