Cruise arrivals to drop up to 30 pct this year
Cruise passenger visits to Greek shores are projected to be lower this year compared to 2016, while there are warning signs for next year too, according to schedules that international cruise companies have drafted for this country.
Sector representatives say that the loss in terms of passenger visits may come to 30 percent this year. However, what worries the market most is the likelihood that this year’s low cruise passenger arrival figures will drop next season too.
Cruise companies draft their schedules per destination a year or two in advance and it is only in case of an extraordinary event that they rewrite their schedules. For instance, cruise operators greatly reduced their routes to Turkey due to the terrorism problems in the neighboring country. This has also resulted in a reduction of visits to Greek ports that served as intermediary destinations on the way to the Turkish coast in combined cruise schedules.
The ongoing instability in Turkey this year has persuaded cruise firms to reduce their Greek ports of call for next year too, leaving this country with a tourism arrival deficit.
