A cruise ship is seen at Piraeus port in Piraeus, Greece, June 2, 2022. The cruise industry in Greece is set to return to pre-pandemic passenger numbers this year, according to Maria Deligianni, national director, Eastern Mediterranean at the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)
by Maria Spiliopoulou
ATHENS, June 1 (Xinhua) -- The cruise industry in Greece is set to return to pre-pandemic passenger numbers this year, according to Maria Deligianni, national director, Eastern Mediterranean at the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).
This would give a significant and lasting boost to the country's economy, she told Xinhua in a recent interview.
"The outlook for this year's cruise season in Greece is very positive. We are returning to pre-pandemic levels, at least when it comes to the number of cruise ships that are going to sail in the country," she said.
At least 87 cruise ships out of 279 represented by CLIA are scheduled to operate in Greece throughout 2022, and 47 will be homeporting there, she said. Currently, there are around 350 operative cruise ships worldwide.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
The cruise industry's economic impact is remarkable in Greece. The sector generates about a billion euros (1.07 billion U.S. dollars) per year and employs at least 16,500 people.
"We believe that there is room for improvement and that the economic impact can be further increased especially through homeporting and the uptake of homeporting activities," Deligianni said.
When a cruise ship is homeporting, the cruise line is spending money locally on food, fuel and repairs, while the passengers travel around Greece, stay in hotels and spend money on food and entertainment.
All these also generate revenue for the local communities and businesses, she explained.
GRADUAL RECOVERY
For 2022, the Hellenic Ports Association (ELIME) expects a 25 percent increase in the number of port calls by cruise vessels in Greece compared to 2019 levels, Deligianni said.
According to ELIME data released in January, last year Greece registered 1,957 port calls by cruise vessels and over 1.3 million cruise passenger arrivals.
These figures do not include statistics from Greece's biggest port, Piraeus, for the fourth quarter of 2021.
In 2020, ELIME reported only 210 cruise port calls and 67,528 passengers, and the respective figures in 2019 were 3,979 port calls and 5.5 million passengers.
The Port of Piraeus, which has been managed by China's COSCO Shipping since 2016, registered the highest number of cruise ship calls and passenger arrivals in 2021.
Currently, cruise vessels operate at around 60 percent passenger capacity, but this will undoubtedly increase this summer, Deligianni told Xinhua.
The high season of cruise tourism in Greece started in early March and will conclude in December with the mooring of a few scheduled Christmas cruises.
POSITIVE SIGNS
The cruise industry has high expectations for 2022 not only in Greece but in the wider region as well.
"The entire region is becoming more and more popular with cruise passengers. The outlook for the Eastern Mediterranean in general is very positive, not only for Greece," Deligianni said.
"We very much welcome the fact that the maritime borders between Turkey and Greece are open again, because they were closed for two years," she added, explaining that the cruise industry traditionally links the two countries.
In the region, Cyprus is becoming a hot tourist destination, and Israel and Egypt also attract increasing numbers of cruise vessels.
However, Deligianni also recalled the negative impact of the rising fuel prices and the supply chain disruptions caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. (1 euro = 1.07 U.S. dollar) ■
Passengers of a cruise ship disembark at Piraeus port in Piraeus, Greece, June 2, 2022. The cruise industry in Greece is set to return to pre-pandemic passenger numbers this year, according to Maria Deligianni, national director, Eastern Mediterranean at the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)
