The European Cruise Week started in Genoa, Italy, on March 11 and will last until March 14, with the participation of many Greek companies.
According to the Hellenic Ports Association, 2023 was an amazing year for cruises in Greece, surpassing any historical precedent in total passenger arrivals. In particular, in the 49 Greek ports, total cruise ship arrivals reached 5,230 and the number of passengers totaled 7 million, that is, 450 more ship arrivals with an additional 2.4 million passengers.
According to the Bank of Greece, revenues from the sector in 2023 amounted to 699 million euros, compared to 413 million euros in 2022 and 556 million euros in 2019.
The port of Piraeus played an important role once again with 1.5 million passengers, followed by Santorini with 1.3 million, Mykonos with 1.2 million and, then Corfu, Rhodes, Katakolo and Heraklion.
Another important element for the cruise market is the choice of Greek ports for “homeporting.” As expected, the port of Piraeus ranks first in “homeporting” with 525 arrivals and 880,800 passengers who started and ended their journey from Piraeus. It is followed by the port of Corfu with 54 arrivals and 194,792 passengers, Lavrio with 99 arrivals and 123,383 passengers, Heraklion with 6 arrivals and 14,106 passengers and Thessaloniki with 31 arrivals and 10,000 passengers. As it turns out, the cruise market is an important development factor for both local communities and the national economy. Combined with the development of port infrastructure and large shipyards, it can enhance the economic prospects, opening new jobs and offering market opportunities. The forecasts are also promising, as based on the cruise ship pre-bookings, arrivals are seen higher by 10% and the number of passengers also higher by 15%.
