Thessaloniki’s New Cruise Terminal to Welcome Passengers in June

Port of Thessaloniki, Greece. Photo source: PSTF

A new cruise terminal at the ThPA SA – Port of Thessaloniki is near completion and this summer will be up and running to welcome passengers arriving to the Greek northern city on major cruise lines.

Housed in the port’s old warehouse 8 following a full revamp, the new terminal will welcome cruise ship passengers to Thessaloniki from countries both inside and outside the Schengen area, in accordance with the requirements of the new European Directive.

First look at Thessaloniki’s new cruise terminal

Delegates of the 7th Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum, among which was Secretary General for Tourism Olympia Anastasopoulou (center), outside of the new cruise terminal (warehouse 8) at Thessaloniki’s port. Photo source: ThPA

Thessaloniki port officials in late April gave delegates of the 7th Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum (PSTF) a sneak preview of the new cruise terminal, as well as a tour of the existing Makedonia terminal. The delegates were accompanied by port officials and representatives from the government, the municipality and the regional authority.

Entering the new terminal

The entrance of the new terminal at Thessaloniki’s port. Photo © Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

Once passengers enter the new terminal, they will be immediately “welcomed” by photographs of Thessaloniki, selected by the Thessaloniki Tourism Organization that has undertaken the facility’s decoration.

“We made sure that the first impression of cruise ship passengers when they enter the terminal will be the best one,” the organization’s president, Voula Patoulidou, said.

Photo © Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

Photo © Greek Travel Pages (GTP)

Divided into two sections, the new terminal will have one area dedicated to non-Schengen passengers and another that will serve inter-Schengen visitors.

The section that will welcome inter-Schengen arrivals, without passport control, is near completion and will see its first cruise ship passengers on June 4.

The section for non-Schengen passenger arrivals is still under construction and will have passport control booths.

Konstantinos Kavdas of Thessaloniki’s port security presenting the passport control booths for non-Schengen passenger arrivals in the new cruise terminal. Photo source: ThPA

Nicholas Pagonis, Vice President, Global Marine Operations, Global Fleet Management, DPA TUI Cruises & Hapag Lloyd Cruises, Royal Caribbean Group Ltd; Voula Patoulidou, President, Thessaloniki Tourism Organization; Ukko Metsola, Vice President, Government Relations, EMEA, Royal Caribbean Group; Michael Pawlus, Head of Itinerary Planning, Azamara Cruises; Alessandro Carollo, Director, Government Relations, Royal Caribbean Group; Maria Karagianni, Deputy President, Thessaloniki Tourism Organization; and Theodora Riga, Chief Commercial Officer & Director of Strategic Communications, ThPA SA – Port of Thessaloniki. Photo source: ThPA

Makedonia Cruise Passenger Terminal to get upgrade

According to the port’s chief commercial officer, Theodora Riga, once the new terminal opens, the old passenger terminal “Makedonia” will undergo a full refurbishment.

Hosted on the ground section of a renovated neoclassical building, the “Makedonia” terminal services passengers of ferries, flying dolphins and cruise ships.

Delegates of the 7th Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum outside of the Makedonia Cruise Passenger Terminal at Thessaloniki’s port. Photo source: ThPA

Cruise activity in Thessaloniki began to show an upward trend since last year with the city increasingly being included in itineraries of major cruise companies.

“Thessaloniki, as a cruise destination, offers strong benefits to the city and the wider area but also to nearby areas of Central Macedonia,” Thessaloniki Tourism Organization President Voula Patoulidou said.

The Greek northern city this year is expecting 69 port calls to be made by cruise ships, half of which will use the port as a homeport (turnaround port for roundtrip itineraries). Compared to 2022, five additional cruise lines have placed Thessaloniki on their destination map. Officials are expecting more than 70,000 cruise passengers in Thessaloniki this year, compared to 40,000 last year.

The Greek Travel Pages (GTP) was a media sponsor of the Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum 2023.