Sea Tourism

The bill promoted by the government for the lifting of cabotage restrictions is a historical reform for the Greek cruise industry, Economy, Competitiveness and Shipping Minister Louka Katseli said last month.

Greece once again ranked second place on the Blue Flag quality award list among 41 countries, according to the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature. Spain is in first place.

“The draft law (on the lifting of cabotage) has terms that are jointly acceptable by all agencies that deal with the cruise issue so that Greece will become a sea cruise center for the entire Mediterranean,” Economy, Competitiveness and Shipping Minister Louka Katseli said after an interministerial meeting on the issue of cabotage.

“Predictions show that over the next two years cruises to the Mediterranean will be the world’s first choice, outshining the half century dominance of cruises to the Caribbean.” This was just one of the conclusions of the report in regards to the lifting of cabotage restrictions in the Greek cruise industry.

Lifting cabotage restrictions would mean the end of Greek-flagged cruise shipping and the funeral of Greek sailors, Antonis Dalakogiorgos, head of the Panhellenic Seamen’s Federation (PNO), recently told the media.

Cabotage restrictions must be lifted immediately so foreign-flag cruise ships could use Greek harbors as homeports by 2011, President of the Greek Shipowners’ Association for Passenger Ships Markos Foros stressed during a press conference last month.

Professional yachts will be exempt from the extraordinary tax and annual special tax on yachts, inflicted by the previous government, by April 2010, according to Economy, Competitiveness and Shipping Minister Louka Katseli.

It is not rational for marine tourism to be taxed differently than other tourism sectors especially in the time of crisis, Economy, Competitiveness and Shipping Minister Louka Katseli recently said.

Greece could reap in some one billion euros annually; 14,000 new job positions would open; and the local economies of tourist areas would have a huge increase in income from tourists that arrive to Greek ports by a cruise ship if the cabotage law is lifted, tourism professionals recently agreed.

The cabotage law that forbids foreign flag cruise ships to homeport in Greece has destroyed Greek cruise, the president of the Hellenic Chamber of Shipping, Yiorgos Gratsos, recently stressed.