Filenews 15 April 2024 - by Ioanna Mantzipia
This year is considered lost for the cruise sector compared to previous years, with tourist arrivals recording serious losses.
The numbers show the huge drop recorded compared to last year, when about 170 cruise ships arrived at the port of Limassol and the number of passengers reached 283,289. However, numbers that we will not see this year as the cruise ships that will drop anchor in the port of Limassol for a few hours, amount to only 68.
The reason for the reduction in cruise ships is the war that has been raging in Gaza since the end of 2023. The unstable situation that exists in the wider region of the Eastern Mediterranean, affected the cruise sector for good, with the big giants during their planning to remove from their itineraries the ports of Israel and the arrival of cruise ships in Cyprus and especially in Limassol, which was an important choice as a stopover.
According to the data held by "F", in 2023 more than 200 cruise ships and more than 300,000 passengers were expected at Limassol Port, but due to the start of the war in our neighbouring country from the 4th quarter of 2023, arrivals decreased from one moment to the next. The numbers for 2024 according to the recorded data are significantly reduced, as only 68 cruise ships will arrive at the Port of Limassol with a reduced number of passengers, which is estimated to reach 120,000. While bookings are validated regularly, it's expected that there won't be a significant increase in visitors. Cruise ship arrivals during the summer months reach 10, while 19 ships have scheduled a stop at Limassol Port for October. It is noted that the 68 cruise ships do not include the itineraries of the Cyprus-Greece maritime passenger connection, which begin their itineraries on May 29, with bookings to start April 17.
What is recorded in the cruise sector has not left indifferent the Government, which in a meeting between all stakeholders, in the presence of Ministers and Deputy Ministers, decided to establish a Working Group on Cruise Tourism in order to study in depth the issue of cruise tourism and draw up a National Strategy for cruises. The committee is coordinated on behalf of the Government by the Deputy Minister of Shipping, Marina Chatzimanoli.
A few days ago, this committee had held its first meeting, with the participation of representatives of the Ministries of Transport, the Deputy Ministry of Shipping, the Deputy Ministry of Tourism and the Presidency and members of the Cyprus Shipping Chamber. Various issues related to cruise tourism were raised with the common line being the formulation of an action plan for the development and promotion of Cruise Tourism.
Speaking to "F", Chatzimanoli pointed out that the goal of the Government and all stakeholders is "to become as competitive as possible and to make the best use of cruise tourism". In addition, he stressed that this is an important sector for Cyprus which can contribute greatly to our economy and the promotion of our culture. He explained that this committee will meet at regular intervals with the main aim of completing the action plan by September.
The Deputy Minister of Shipping last month participated in a panel on the decarbonization of the cruise industry at the European Summit during the Cruise Week, organized by the International Association of Cruise Lines (CLIA), in Genoa, Italy, informing about Cyprus' actions and actions in this direction. At the same time, the Deputy Minister of Shipping addressed the conference on March 14, the work of which focused on women's employment opportunities in the cruise industry, citing the relevant framework of actions of the Deputy Ministry of Shipping.
Increasing arrivals via cruise ships
Mrs. Chatzimanoli stressed that everyone's desire is to be ready for the coming years, stressing that the goal is to have increasing arrivals of tourists through cruise ships who, taking advantage of their arrival in our country, will be able to visit destinations all over Cyprus, get to know our culture so that they can love our place and visit the island again.
Speaking to "F", the executive chairman of Top Kinisis and honorary president of the Association of Travel Agents, Akis Kelepesis, said that this year for the cruise sector has been lost due to the war in Israel. As he said, the number of Cypriots who will travel by cruise ships for 2024 will be below 25,000, while trips mainly concern the summer season.
"There is interest in holidays via cruise ships departing from the ports of Piraeus, Barcelona, Rome and Copenhagen." These are, as he explained, cruises carried out with large cruise ships that make the round of the Eastern and Western Mediterranean and the Baltic.
For this year, the number of people who will travel by cruise ships, according to the reservations so far, does not exceed 25,000 and especially during the summer season. "If there was a choice from Limassol Port, surely many more people would travel. All these are consequences of the war in Israel as the companies chose not to operate routes in the Eastern Mediterranean, resulting in the loss of option of travelling from the port of Limassol," he concluded.
