Cruise tourism set for significant growth

As the international cruise industry prepares for the highly anticipated Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum on April 25-26 in Thessaloniki, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) predicts that the sector will attract up to 33 million passengers in 2023, significantly exceeding the 29.7 million recorded in 2019, the last year before the pandemic.

According to recently released CLIA data, Greece, which is at the forefront of European cruising destinations, is poised to enjoy an increase in economic impact from the industry, with Piraeus, the country's leading seaport, forecast to exceed 1 million passengers in 2023. In 2021, Greece achieved an unprecedented economic impact of 1.1 billion euros from cruise activities, compared to €957 million in 2019.

The sector supported 315,000 jobs in Europe, with 15,100 of those jobs based in Greece. Greece led the world with the...