Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) meets the Minister of Maritime Affairs & Insular Policy of Greece amidst the cruise season 2024 to discuss pressing local issues and strategic cooperation opportunities

The meeting reaffirmed the structured dialogue between CLIA and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy and underscored a mutual commitment to cooperate towards the sustainable development of the cruise industry in Greece

• CLIA highlighted its recommendation for a comprehensive holistic management approach for highly popular ports and destinations, which remains essential to protect the local citizens and the guest experience

• CLIA confirmed the strong interest of cruise companies in enriching their itineraries with additional Greek destinations

Represented by Marie-Caroline Laurent, Director General of CLIA in Europe, and Maria Deligianni, CLIA’s Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, CLIA met Mr. Christos Stylianides, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy of Greece. The meeting reaffirmed the constructive dialogue between CLIA and the Ministry and a mutual commitment to cooperate towards the sustainable development of the cruising industry in Greece.

“Greece is a destination cruise market of major importance in Europe, and we wish to continue working together with the Greek government to protect the country’s uniqueness, to be a great place to live and to travel. Concretely, we first recognized this need last year when we launched CLIA’s cruise industry Action Plan for Greece, which aims to address challenges and opportunities for the sector for our mutual benefit”, said Marie-Caroline Laurent.

Maria Deligianni added, “Recently, the growth of tourism in Greece has garnered significant attention, particularly concerning the islands of Santorini and Mykonos. We were pleased to inform the Minister of our proactive engagement with local authorities to enhance cruise tourism practices and develop sustainable tourism strategies for these islands. This includes the commitment by CLIA cruise lines to uphold the daily cruise cap of 8,000 passengers in Santorini and the establishment of a berth allocation system in Mykonos, a priority for ports experiencing high levels of cruise traffic.”

Considering that 57% of cruise tourism in Greece (according to 2023 data) takes place in Piraeus, Santorini, and Mykonos, CLIA discussed with the Minister and the Secretary General of the Aegean and Insular Policy, Mr. Manolis Koutoulakis, the potential for expanding to new destinations elsewhere in Greece. CLIA confirmed the strong interest of cruise companies in enriching their itineraries with additional Greek destinations given the vast range of opportunities on offer.

The improvement and upgrade of port infrastructure and port services was also discussed, and it was noted that homeporting activities represent a great economic opportunity for the country, with around 70% of vessels calling in Greek ports homeporting this year

The discussion also addressed the importance of the cruise line industry for European shipbuilding, with around 80% of the value of the orderbook of European shipyards represented by cruise ships.  The recent revitalization of the Greek shipyards can represent a positive opportunity for the Greek economy with potential business opportunities in the cruise sector including, retrofit, maintenance and refurbishment.

Focusing on the decarbonization of the cruise sector, CLIA shared that it has commissioned a “Cruise Investment Plan”, a study which will identify the needs for port infrastructure, and alternative fuels to achieve our decarbonization goals, to be completed in early 2025.

CLIA also emphasized the need for a carefully considered adjustment period in the increase of port dues in Greek ports and for revision of the national law concerning tender boat operations.

The implementation of the EU Regulation establishing an Entry/Exit System (EES) to register entry and exit data and refusal of entry data of third-country nationals crossing the external borders of the Member States, which will enter into force in November this year, was also discussed during a meeting of the CLIA representatives with the Border Protection Directorate of the Greek Ministry of Civil Protection.

Marie-Caroline Laurent and Maria Deligianni also met with the newly appointed CEO of Piraeus Port Authority, Mr. Su Xudong, as well as with the CEO of Posidonia, Mr. Theodore Vokos, with whom they discussed the next Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum, scheduled to take place in Heraklion on May 6-7, 2025.