From May 23rd to May 24th of this year, the Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum, the biennial brand event for the international cruise and yachting industries, will be organized in Athens. Some of the major decision makers from the world’s largest cruise operators will be present here. All of them will assemble at the Megaron Athens International Conference Centre to talk about strategies planned to reinvent cruising in the extended region of the East Mediterranean and Black Sea.
Greece in 2015 witnessed a modest increase in cruise passenger visits of 4.176 million, as confirmed by CLIA’s annual report. Turkey’s temporary loss, the partner destination of Greece came at a huge cost for the region. Both of them, until recently, managed in tandem to effectively contain the negative commercial impact of regional turmoil. Though the outlook is dismal as of now, Greece’s downward trend that started in 2016 and expected to continue sharply in 2017 and beyond, highlighting the commercial interdependence between destinations that constitute a distinct cruise region.
Currently, Greece is more geared towards developing new itinerary-enhancing destinations, in order to fortify its demand in cruising industry. Nevertheless, to reconstruct a new commercial strength and viability that will attract more visitors definitely requires full support and contribution from countries like Egypt, Israel and Turkey.
