The issue of hypertourism and the promotion of new destinations will dominate the 8th Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum to be held in May 2025, as the organizers of the most important cruise event in the Eastern Mediterranean, with the support of the Region of Crete and the Port Authority of Heraklion, in collaboration with the local authorities of Heraklion, are preparing to bring the exhibition for the first time to Greece’s largest island.
The 2025 Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum (PSTF) will be held at the Creta Maris Resort Hotel, located within walking distance of Heraklion.
The port of Heraklion, which is the main sponsor of the event, is expected to see a 20% increase in the number of cruise passengers this year, while an equally dynamic season is expected in 2025.
As Piraeus, Santorini and Mykonos account for nearly 60% of all cruise activity in Greece, and with many popular Mediterranean destinations calling for – and some already adopting – measures to curb overtourism, the forum will be entitled: “Mediterranean: Urgent Need for New Popular Ports and Destinations.”
The forum will bring together representatives of the global cruise industry and industry bodies such as the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and the Mediterranean Cruise Ports Association (MedCruise) with those involved in Mediterranean cruise seeking solutions and planning new itineraries for the future. Alleviating the pressure on the already overburdened ports, exploring the possibility of including lesser-known and visited destinations in cruise itineraries, but also promoting the dialogue on sustainable tourism practices, are among the key issues that will be raised at the forum and discussed with executives of the cruise sector who have extensive knowledge and operational expertise of the Mediterranean.
“Topics to be discussed during the two-day conference will include sustainability, tourism marketing and product creation, enhancing the visitor tourism experience, hypertourism, emerging new destinations, port infrastructure, green initiatives and solutions, the effective berth allocation solutions and the daily maximum arrivals,” underlined Thodoris Vokos, managing director of Posidonia Exhibitions S.A.
