Sea Tourism

Greek shipping recorded a small drop in passenger and freight traffic during the summer period when compared with the same period in 2008, the Ministry of Mercantile Marine, The Aegean and Island Policy recently said.

The 18.3-million euro upgrade projects of the port facilities of the Evia prefecture would have a very positive impact on transport, trade and tourism, the secretary general of Central Greece’s prefecture, Pantelis Sklias, said recently.

Greek shipowners have invested more than $2.3 billion for the purchase of 118 ships for the January-August 2009 period and are considered the biggest spenders on ships in the world, according to data released by Allied Shipbroking firm.

Associations that represent professional and private owners of yachts have reacted to the draft law of the Ministry of Economy and Finance that levies new taxes on the yachting industry.

The Greek cruise industry must be liberated from the cabotage law that forbids non-European Union flag cruise ships to use Greek harbors as homeports, according to recently released official figures. The figures are in regards to the number of tourists that arrived in Piraeus by cruise ship for the first five months of the year.

Despite the fears of the global economic crisis it seems that this summer is produced better results than 2008 for Greek shipping or at least for many companies that continue to operate efficiently, said the Ministry of Mercantile Marine, The Aegean and Island Policy.

ANEK Lines recently held the “Recycling… at top speed” event at the Piraeus Port and attracted hundreds of people of all ages who recycled plastic, glass, metal and other packaging.

Attica Group recently signed shipbuilding contracts with world-class shipyard Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Company, Korea, for the construction of two monohull-type, fast car-passenger ferries. The total investment cost will amount to some 137 million euros.

Rodos appeared to be almost unaffected by the global economic crisis as marine tourism for the month of June showed an increase of 16.67 percent over the same period in 2008, according to official figures from the security office of the island’s port.

By 2010 two of the four planned diving parks in Greece will be established, announced Tourism Minister Kostas Markopoulos at the conference “Diving Tourism – Present and Future,” organized last month by Greek daily newspaper Apogevmatini.