He’s heading for a new record the countryside cruise according to what the president of the Union of Cruise Shipowners and Maritime Agencies (EECFN) Giorgos Koumbenas reports in “NEA”.
He is optimistic about the evolution of the industry in 2024 by examining the data of the different ports of the country and in particular of the largest port of the country, Piraeus, which sets the tone, while adding that the new record also means more revenue for the sector. the national economy and public funds.
“In the first five months, according to data from the port of Piraeus, we recorded 179 cruise ship arrivals, compared to 166 arrivals in the corresponding period of 2023,” he notes in “NEWS,” “ a fact which means an increase of 8% increase in the number of arrivals.
At the same time, from the beginning of the year to the end of May, 80,805 transit (passing) passengers as well as 46,151 disembarked passengers and 47,867 embarked passengers were recorded at the port of Piraeus, recording an increase of 14% compared to 2023 in terms of home port. passengers (boarded, disembarked) and overall approximately 7%.
As we estimate, for the whole year there will be an increase in ship arrivals in all ports of the country by 10% and the number of passengers by 12-15%, which means that we will reach new records , as passengers (arrivals in each port) will approach 8 million while cruise passengers reached 7,003,150 in 2023 while ship calls will approach 6,000 while in 2023 they reached 5,230”.
Increased income
“The upward movement of cruises also means an increase in income for the Greek economy and the State” adds G. Koumbenas and gives the example of the income obtained by the port funds of the different islands.
At the same time, he notes that this year these revenues will be higher, since the fee per passenger for port security now amounts to 2.5 euros per passenger after the publication of the relevant official journal, while it does not Until now it was only one euro per passenger.
Commenting on the Prime Minister’s statements to Bloomberg regarding measures to restrict cruise ships to certain islands, he notes that some measures have already been taken, such as in Santorini and adds that in any case, any decision should be taken after consultation with the sector.
It should be noted that according to data from the Bank of Greece, in 2023 the total revenue of cruise lines increased by 84.1% compared to 2022 and amounted to 908.4 million euros, of which 61.0 million euros are included in the data recorded by the border survey, as they concern travelers departing from Greece (last port), while 847.4 million euros represent additional revenue recorded in the complementary survey .
The total overnight stays of passengers outside cruise ships increased in 2023 by 121.5% compared to 2022 and amounted to 9,421.9 thousand overnight stays, which had a positive effect on the formation of cruise revenue .
The growth of the cruise market in our country is due to both the attractiveness of the destinations and the fact that Greece is considered a safe country compared to what is happening in our wider neighborhood.
But internationally, all historical records in the cruise industry are expected to be surpassed in 2024, as estimated by Theodoros Kontes, honorary president of the Union of Cruise Shipowners and Maritime Agencies (EEKFN).
In 2023, a movement of 31.7 million passengers was recorded worldwide, which has already exceeded the high results of 2019 by about 7%, with a prospect for 2024 to expect a further increase of about 8%. %. We also expect a corresponding additional annual increase of between 8% and 10% by 2028.
In 2024, the sector should exceed 34 million cruise passengers, or even approach 35 million, notes T. Kontes.
Global passenger capacity, according to estimates by the EEKFN honorary president, is expected to increase from 677,000 beds in 2024 to 745,000 in 2028. New construction has returned to pre-coronavirus levels. An increase is also seen on small luxury cruise ships (expeditions) as well as mid-sized ships. Mega cruisers continue to be built, but in lower numbers than pre-Covid.