Piraeus Port Welcomes Over 1.5 Million Cruise Passengers in 2023

Photo source: Piraeus Port Authority

The Port of Piraeus, Greece, achieved a historical record in 2023 by welcoming some 1.5 million cruise passengers in total, compared to 880,000 in 2022.

According to preliminary figures released by the Piraeus Port Authority (PPA), the port also achieved a significant milestone last year by welcoming approximately 800,000 homeport passengers, compared to 380,000 in 2022.

The number of cruise ships served in 2023 was 760 and 525 of them were homeport.

A large increase in cruise ship arrivals and passengers is also expected in 2024. Already pre-bookings have been made for 1,042 cruise ship arrivals and a new record in homeport arrivals (approximately 800 calls) are expected.

The Costa Deliziosa is first cruise ship of the year to arrive at the Port of Piraeus.

Welcoming the excellent course of cruise tourism at the Port of Piraeus, PPA Chairman Yu Zenggang highlighted that continuing the dynamic path of the cruise industry is a vital component of the authority’s strategy.

“It constitutes a beneficial activity for many stakeholders, but mainly for the local community, the neighboring municipalities, the Attica region and also the country overall,” he said.

Piraeus welcomes first cruise ship of the year

Zenggang made the statement on Thursday when PPA’s management welcomed Costa Deliziosa, the first cruise ship to arrive at the port of Piraeus in the new year. A special ceremony was held at the cruise terminal that included exchange of plaques and Christmas treats for all passengers.

A member of the Costa Cruises fleet, Costa Deliziosa arrived in Piraeus from Izmir with 2,500 passengers and then continued its journey to Dubrovnik and Italy.

Costa liners’ cruise ships operate in the port of Piraeus throughout the whole year, having performed 16 calls in 2023. In 2024, 22 calls are expected based on the pre-bookings data.