Filenews 8 June 2024
The cruise ship Crown Iris from Haifa was welcomed upon its first arrival for 2024 at Larnaka Port by the Municipality of Larnaka, the Larnaka Tourism Development and Promotion Company and the Larnaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
This is the first major cruise ship to arrive at Larnaka port, following the assumption of management by the Port Authority, which resulted from the termination of the contract with Kition Ocean Holdings.
This cruise ship, with a capacity of 2000 passengers, will operate the Haifa-Larnaka route on an almost weekly basis until early November. This year, as announced, it will have an increased number of arrivals at Larnaka Port compared to the previous year, which is estimated to reach 22.
The Crown Iris, according to a joint announcement by Larnaka authorities, will spend the night on several of its arrivals at Larnaka Port. "Some passengers will participate in excursions in the province, such as Lefkara, Athienou and Choirokoitia as well as other neighbouring towns, while the majority will go to the center of Larnaka.
On its first arrival the ship was carrying 1600 people, while it is worth noting that more than 50% of the passengers of this ship are repeated." Welcoming Captain Nikos Michaloliakos, the Mayor of Larnaka thanked Mano Cruises for consistently choosing Larnaca for years, as well as Louis local Travel representatives for their cooperation.
Mr. Vyras also mentioned that it remains a timeless goal of Larnaka to increase the number of cruise ships calling at its port "as our city is in an extremely convenient location, where the passenger can go on foot to the center, while interesting excursions can be made at short distances".
The Larnaca Chamber of Commerce and Industry in turn warmly thanks Mano Cruises for continuing to choose Larnaca for years as a drop-off point for its passengers as it gives the business world a strong sense of gratitude for the trust shown by the company in our city.
"The continued traffic from this cruise ship adds value to the shopping centre and the economy of Larnaka," he notes.
It is noted that a representative of the Larnaca Tourism Board staffs the information point in the passenger hall upon arrival of cruise ships, in order to provide full information on the reference points of the city and province. During the meeting of the captain and crew with the Larnaka authorities, issues that will make the ship's arrival in Larnaka more orderly, as well as other ways of cooperation, were discussed.
