New Cruise Tourism Map for Greece

Α working gathering organized successful Athens by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), successful collaboration with Deputy Foreign Minister Haris Theocharis, focused connected the strategy for processing caller cruise tourism destinations successful Greece, with accent connected land communities, larboard infrastructure, and the much effectual use of revenues generated by the cruise levy.

The gathering brought together representatives of the Greek government, parliament, larboard and tourism authorities, arsenic well arsenic executives from Celestyal and MSC Cruises, with the overarching extremity of shaping a much balanced exemplary for cruise tourism improvement crossed the country.

At the bosom of the discussions was the urgent request to easiness unit connected overcrowded destinations and bring caller cruise ports successful land and mainland regions into the spotlight, done amended planning, targeted investment, and person coordination betwixt the state, section communities, and cruise companies.

CLIA projected the instauration of a broad “Cruise Development Guide,” accompanied by a dedicated checklist, giving emerging destinations a applicable strategic readying tool covering infrastructure needs, partnerships, and tourism management.

Special accent was besides placed connected channeling revenues from the cruise levy toward larboard infrastructure projects, destination promotion initiatives, and improved services for some passengers and section communities.

Deputy Foreign Minister Haris Theocharis stated: “Cruise tourism is 1 of the astir dynamic sectors of maritime tourism, making a meaningful publication to section and determination economies, occupation creation, and positioning Greece arsenic an planetary tourism destination. Our extremity is not simply to turn cruise activity, but to maximize the value it delivers — much benefits for the Greek economy, an enhanced visitor experience, and genuine support for section communities. Greece is pursuing a cruise exemplary that leaves a strong footprint connected onshore — boosting hotels, restaurants, transportation, culture, section supply chains, and employment — while contributing positively to some the system and infrastructure improvement.”

Maria Deligianni, CLIA’s Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, commented: “We are pleased to proceed our dialog with the Greek authorities connected shaping an effectual cruise strategy. Our discussions highlighted the strategic value and untapped imaginable of Greece’s emerging cruise destinations. Redistributing traffic toward rising ports will assistance make economical benefits crossed much mainland and land destinations, while preserving the carrying capableness of the astir fashionable ones. In this context, we stressed the value of conducting a dedicated study to measure the needs of emerging cruise destinations, arsenic well arsenic the value of coordination to prioritize projects to beryllium funded done cruise levy revenues.”

She added: “For the aboriginal of cruising successful Greece, we emphasized that predictability and accordant connection are vital for cruise companies’ planning.”

Key Discussion Points

The gathering centered connected the pursuing priorities:

• Sustainable cruise tourism improvement successful emerging destinations with balanced maturation dynamics, ensuring a wider organisation of economical benefits.
• Coordination of each stakeholders within the cruise ecosystem.
• The request for section dialogues with cruise ports, a process CLIA has already launched successful 10 destinations done nonstop collaboration with municipalities and larboard authorities.
• Creation of a Cruise Development Guide with an accompanying checklist for the strategic improvement of emerging destinations. The usher will assistance these destinations physique the indispensable infrastructure, forge effectual partnerships, and undertake the semipermanent readying required to successfully participate and turn successful the sector.
• Strengthening Greece arsenic a homeporting destination, highlighting the associated economical benefits.
• Effective use of cruise levy revenues, with shared accent connected sustainable and balanced tourism improvement crossed Greek islands. To decently measure needs and prioritize investments, CLIA stressed the value of adjacent coordination with the manufacture astatine some nationalist and section levels — involving the Ministries of Maritime Affairs and Island Policy and Tourism, municipalities, larboard authorities, and section communities.
• Participants astatine the gathering included representatives from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Island Policy, among them Evangelos Kyriazopulos, Secretary-General for Shipping and Ports, Manolis Koutoulakis, Secretary-General for the Aegean and Island Policy, and Ilektra Papazachou, Legal Advisor to the Minister of Tourism’s Private Office, with the support of members of the Hellenic Parliament.