The war conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, the soaring prices in Europe and the lack of marinas in Attica are the main problems of the yachting industry, according to the heads of three major associations of the sector.
“We lost the Russian market – with Russian tourists now preferring Turkey – a part of the Ukrainian market and finally the market of Israel,” explained the president of the Association of Owners of Professional Tourist Boats without Permanent Crew (SITESAP), Efthymios Bibis.
In addition, high prices in Europe are reducing the income of customers, who are cutting back on vacation expenses over other more basic expenses. The result was that 2023, which started with good prospects, did not have the desired results.
According to Bibis, at the peak of the tourist season, in July and August, many boats remained inactive, while this year the bookings so far are roughly at last year’s levels.
“More Marinas”
The president of the Greek Tourist Boat Owners’ Union, Antonis Stelliatos, addressing the government officials, made a call for more marinas that will meet the needs of professional boats.
“Marinas and ports must be given to the country,” Dimitris Triantafillou, president of the Panhellenic Association of Professional Tourist Sailing Boats, underlined.
“We don’t want the construction of marinas anywhere. They must be accessible from the airport and there must be infrastructure for repairing the boat in case of damage. Moreover, they must provide for areas where customers can enjoy many activities,” Bibis stated to “Naftemporiki”, on the sidelines of the event.
