Greece has maintained its ranking as the third most popular cruise destination in Europe with 4.09 million passenger visits in 2017, according to the “Contribution of Cruise Tourism to the Economies of Europe 2017” report released by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA).
According to the findings, the Greek cruise sector accounted for 10,721 jobs in 2017 or 2.7 percent of the total, an increase of 7.4 percent from 2015. Approximately 59 percent of these jobs were in the transportation and trade sectors and 11 percent in manufacturing.
The ports of Mykonos, Corfu, Santorini and Katakolo were among the principal ports-of-call in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe from 2015 to 2017.
At the same time however, Greece’s Union of Cruise Shipowners and Associated Members (EEKFN) is ringing alarm bells, estimating that cruise tourism to Greece this year will drop below the 2017 levels, dashing expectations for a minor recovery, with the association’s president Theodore Konte saying it is “yet another disappointing year for the sector”.
