Cruise Lines International Association

The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) is holding a European Summit in Genoa next month, with the participation of senior officials from Greece and Cyprus, among others. 

The summit will form part of Cruise Week Europe in Genoa, northwestern Italy, on March 11-14. 

The cruise industry is taking steps to reduce its environmental impact, said Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Cruises and global chair at the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), on the opening day of the 7th Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum in Thessaloniki on Tuesday, highlighting the significance of sustainability.

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.

Next month's 7th Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum will bring together top executives and industry leaders from the international cruise sector to discuss the challenges and potential of the industry and highlight the importance of the region and the need for new destinations to keep pace with the industry's rapid growth and emerging trends.

Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman of MSC Cruises, has been appointed to a two-year term as global chairman of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) to become the first European in this position.

Vago will assume the global chairmanship effective immediately, succeeding Adam Goldstein, who recently completed his second term at the helm of CLIA.

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) are co-funding a sustainable assessment program for the tourism destinations of Corfu and Iraklio, with the essential participation of the local authorities.

The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) announced on Tuesday that it has reached an agreement with the Greek government for the creation of a framework so that cruise ships can carry out short-term berthing in Greeks ports at a time when cruise ports are closed for precautionary purposes.

The cruise industry in the Eastern Mediterranean is bracing for a major rebound this year, trying to catch up with the rest of the world, which is all set to experience its best year ever, according to projections presented on the opening day of the 5th Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum in Athens on Tuesday.

Over 30 senior cruise executives responsible for ports and destinations at the world's biggest cruise lines will be participating in the biennial Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum that will be held on May 28-29 at the Domotel Kastri Conference Center in northern Athens.

While Greece is the third most popular cruise tourism destination in the Mediterranean, it is unable to make this translate into financial gains in the way that Spain and Italy do, while certain destinations such as Santorini and Myconos are disproportionately burdened by daily flows of visitors compared to the rest of the country.