Cruise ship arrivals and departures (berth allocation) systems in Greek ports were examined during a meeting held at the Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy, with the participation of the Minister of Shipping and Island Policy Giannis Plakiotakis, the Minister of Tourism Vassilis Kikilias.
The two Ministries pay special attention to the proper operation of the flow management and traffic planning mechanism of cruise ships, especially in popular destinations such as Santorini, Mykonos, where the tourism traffic is chaotic.
At the end of the meeting, Mr. Plakiotakis underlined the excellent cooperation that the two ministries have developed in the critical sector of the tourism industry, emphasizing that: “Greece is the first country to develop this mechanism, which is expected to be a particularly useful tool to serve ships and visitors, but also to strengthen local economies, contributing to better cruise ship catering planning and the overall local tourism system in each destination.”
Mr. Kikilias on his part after thanking Mr. Plakiotakis for the hospitality stressed that “after the decision of the Prime Minister Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in our strategic plan for sustainable Tourism, especially in the country’s brands such as Santorini , Mykonos, Crete, we are starting a program to support the quality of the tourism product. A program that will support the residents and visitors of the areas.
We are working with the Ministry of Shipping on a plan for berth allocation, cruise management, adding quality features in collaboration with agencies and professionals in the field, so that we can increase cruise destinations and bring more revenue to the country.
At the same time, starting this year in Santorini, we want to manage the flows of cruise ships, so that we can have better services for passengers and visitors, but also quality of life for the inhabitants of the islands.
In closing, Mr. Plakiotakis noted that “the Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy, with the holistic management of destinations, through the use of new technologies, but also with investments in port infrastructure, ensures rules of safe navigation and access to high seas and port traffic, while at the same time, something that contributes significantly to the enhancement of the quality of the Greek tourism product, in the field of cruises, both for the visitors and for the companies that are active in the sector.”
“I am sure”, concluded Mr. Plakiotakis, “that the rise in the cruise industry will be important in 2022, strengthening the local communities and contributing to the increase of the tourist flow to our country”.
