Desire to launch cruise ships in Greece, starting in March

The message that the cruise companies want to start the 2021 season, earlier, from the beginning of March, in Greece, is brought by Ms. Marie-Caroline Laurent new general director of the International Cruise Association CLIA for Europe, who is visiting our country today and tomorrow.

Ms. Laurent will meet with Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias and Shipping Minister Giannis Plakiotakis.

Among the topics that will be discussed is the cooperation between the public and the private sector in order to keep cruise ships safe, as was the case last year, when there was no infection on cruise ships, infrastructure improvement measures, tourist packages and wider issues such as decarbonization of shipping.

Her visit, just a few days after taking office, officially took place on November 15, shows the importance that CLIA gives to the Greek cruise market, which acquires new dynamics after the Memorandum of Cooperation recently signed in Smyrna by the Greek Minister of Tourism Vassilis Kikilias and his Turkish counterpart Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.

The meeting between Greece and Turkey on tourism was the first joint tourism meeting held since 2011 and the memorandum of cooperation includes coastal shipping and cruising activities, thus facilitating further travel between the two countries.

On the occasion of the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation, the representative of CLIA in Greece, Mrs. Maria Delligianni said: “Cooperation between neighboring countries is crucial for the cruise. We warmly thank the Greek Minister of Tourism Vassilis Kikilias and the Turkish Minister of Tourism and Culture Mehmet Nuri Ersoy for the close cooperation in order to improve the joint tourism and cruise activities between Greece and Turkey “.