Piraeus Chamber opens channel with CLIA concerning cruises and the port city

Piraeus, which hosts one of the most dynamic cruise terminals in the eastern Mediterranean, is preparing to claim a dynamic presence in the European, and not only, cruise industry. In this context, a meeting of the Eastern Mediterranean Director of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), Maria Deligianni, with the president of the Piraeus Chamber of Commerce, Vassilis Korkidis, the president of the Piraeus Merchants Association Theodoros Kapralos, and the President of the Panhellenic Association of Ships Provisioners, Nikolaos Mavrikos, took place at the Piraeus Chamber of Commerce and Industry..

Welcoming the representative of CLIA, the President of the Chamber referred to the importance the progressive increase in the number of berthed cruise ships, as well as the use of the port as a home port by a a large number of ships has for the city of Piraeus. The discussion examined, in the first phase, the possibility of intensifying the presence of Piraeus in international and European cruise-related events, as well as key parameters that will impress Piraeus as a destination for the cruise ship passengers that sail to the port.

At the meeting, a consensus was found on the necessity of pursuing an extroverted policy, through a series of actions, the main axes of which were outlined, in this first meeting, with the representative of CLIA. The aim of the campaign, which is expected to be launched soon, is to provide more dynamic information to the 54,000 travel agents, as well as to 15,000 of the largest travel agencies in the world and stakeholders in the industry who are monitoring CLIA and its actions for Piraeus.

Overall presence

The Chamber will seek an overall presence in the “world” of the cruise, both for the passenger public in the tourism part, and for the possibilities that currently exist in Piraeus for supplies, shipbuilding repairs, supplies of spare parts and even tankage, mainly for the cruise ships that use Piraeus as their home port.

According to the CLIA member companies operating in Greece, the costs per passenger at each embarkation port in our country can reach 400 euros, while the corresponding amount at the ports visited by cruise ships is estimated at 100 euros. In addition, the cost of refueling, maintaining and supplying the ships is an additional, very important income for the country, as it was emphasized. This year, O.L.P. will register a record number of homeporting passengers for 2023 and, based on pre-bookings, they will reach 600,000 thousand.