Cruise lines

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.

As work got under way on Piraeus Port Authority's (OLP) new cruise terminal on Tuesday, top officials of global cruise tourism giants Carnival and Royal Caribbean expressed confidence that it would reposition Greece's main port at the center of the Mediterranean cruise market.

The plight of the cruise ship off Japan with more than 200 coronavirus infections and the shunning of another luxury liner by five ports despite no known cases has led to a sharp change in tack for an industry in shock: Avoid Asia.

The Costa Crociere cruise ship carrying about 6,000 passengers was blocked at the port of Civitavecchia (about 100 km south of Rome) after two patients from Hong Kong showed symptomes of infectious disease. The tourists have been found to have fever and respiratory problems.

Greek ports are expected to attract more cruise tourists following a rise of about 15 percent both in cruise liner calls and passenger arrivals in 2019, officials have told Xinhua.

A total of 64 cruise ships will visit Istanbul this year, representatives of tour operators have said, expecting a lucrative business both for local shops and themselves.

In the last 5 years, no sea cruises from the ports of Varna and Burgas have been realized in Bulgaria. This is evidenced by Eurostat data on maritime tourism in EU countries last year.

In the last 5 years in Bulgaria, no sea cruises have been realized from our two ports Varna and Burgas, Eurostat data show the trends in the development of this type of sea tourism in the EU countries last year.

The only sea cruise departing from the port of Varna was in 2013, according to European statistics.

The state of infrastructure at Greek ports is a major concern for cruise companies, it emerged from the 5th Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum that concluded on Wednesday in Athens.

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.