Cruise industry: CLIA Cooperation with Piraeus Chamber for the growth of the sector in Greece

A meeting between CLIA and the Piraeus Chamber of Commerce and Industry was held, with the aim of developing the cruise industry in Greece, but also activities of the supporting cluster for cruise ships, which will give a significant boost to the local economy, and not only, according to a related announcement. This was established today, during the official visit of CLIA’s General Manager, Marie-Caroline Laurent, who was accompanied by CLIA’s Eastern Mediterranean Director, Ms. Maria Deligianni, and Celestyal’s CEO, Chris Theofilidis, to the Piraeus Chamber, where they met with the president of the Chamber, Vassilis Korkidis, the president of the Union of Hellenic Petroleum Workers and member of the Chamber’s management, Nikolaos Mavrikos, and the vice-president of the Piraeus Commerce Association, Michalis Chatziioannou.

The 3 main goals

The president of the Chamber developed the three main objectives that the Chamber has set with regard to all cruise activities, putting forward the issue of developing synergies with cruise companies in the field of ship repairs, as well as dry dock operations for cruise ships using Piraeus as a home port, among other things. On the occasion of the “green transition” of the cruise sector to which Marie-Caroline Laurent, among others, referred, a consensus was found regarding the breadth of the fields of development of collaborations and synergies with cruise companies in the fields of shipbuilding repairs, while the issue was particularly emphasized of the dry dock, given the capacity of the shipyards in the bay of Elefsina which is dominant in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The president of the Chamber and the general director of CLIA also agreed on the prospects for further development of actions concerning the visitation of the city of Piraeus by cruise ship passengers, while the individual goals were also set.

The Chamber, in the framework of implementing an outward-looking policy, is going to take part in Cruise Week Europe, which will be held in March next year in Genoa, where all the companies that launch their cruise ships to European destinations will be present, with a perspective, in addition to the presence in Posidonia, to also have a presence in the cruise ship exhibition in Miami, USA.

The meeting

At the meeting, Marie-Caroline Laurent emphasized that CLIA recognizes that Greece is an important cruise hub in the Mediterranean, with great prospects for further growth, having in fact significantly developed homeporting capabilities, referring to a series of issues that are seeking regulation from the Greek authorities to make it easier for passengers to disembark at destinations that require Schengen controls.

Also, Ms. Deligiannis developed the five main pillars of CLIA’s action plan for the development of cruises in Greece, with a five-year horizon, noting that the achievement of the goals contained in this plan will help the cruise sector to “flourish” further. in the country, with immediate social benefits and jobs. At this point, the president of the Chamber stated that the E.V.E.P. will help in this effort, also emphasizing that the Chamber has already recorded the set of issues related to regulations or interventions on the part of the co-competent ministries, having proposed a series of solutions in the direction of the development of shipbuilding and repair activities, the attraction young people in the maritime profession, but also in the technical professions related to shipbuilding.

Korkidis: The goal is growth

We have common goals with CLIA, concluded the president of the Piraeus Chamber, Vassilis Korkidis, for the growth of a sector of maritime tourism that contributes to the tourism promotion of Greece, recalling that the cruise industry annually generates 1.1 billion in Greek economy supporting more than 15,000 jobs and wished the shipping companies in the sector to trust the cluster of Greek shipbuilding – shipbuilding repair companies that are distinguished for the quality of the work, the services provided, but also the materials and consumables they manufacture for ships.

Finally, the president of the Chamber was invited by the General Director of CLIA, Marie-Caroline Laurent, to visit CLIA’s headquarters, as part of the Chamber’s cooperation with the International Association of Cruise Lines, which established at today’s meeting.