Greece to Announce Measures to Improve Cruise Port Management

The Greek government is expected to soon announce measures aimed at more efficient and effective management of the country’s cruise ports, the Greek Tourism Ministry said on Friday.

The announcement follows a meeting held Thursday between Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni, Greek Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy Christos Stylianides, Minister of State Akis Skertsos, and Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF) CEO Dimitris Politis.

During the meeting, the positive tourist flow this season and the need for sustainable solutions to address the pressures on popular destinations were discussed. The aim is to benefit both local communities and the Greek tourism product, according to the ministry’s announcement.

For Greece’s cruise sector, which has seen increasing trends in recent years, ministers agreed on the necessity to examine charging policies at cruise ports, currently at very low levels.

Furthermore, all parties concurred on the need for alternative port management models and digital fleet management tools to efficiently manage growing demand, benefiting local communities.

The ministers agreed that specific measures to address these challenges will be announced soon.

The meeting follows viral images of congestion in Santorini’s streets, especially after a cruise ship disembarked thousands of people on the island.

According to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), 57 percent of cruise tourism in Greece in 2023 was concentrated in Piraeus, Santorini, and Mykonos. Last month, Santorini Mayor Nikolaos Zorzos announced plans to implement a daily cap on cruise ship arrivals to manage congestion. Additionally, local authorities on Mykonos aim to introduce a berth management system for better distribution of cruise ship arrivals based on the port’s and destination’s capacity.