THIS YEAR'S CYPRUS-GREECE PASSENGER CONNECTION SEASON WITH A NEW SHIP - TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM 22 APRIL - Filenews 15/4
The Italian-flagged ferry "AF Marina" undertakes to serve this year's season of the maritime passenger connection between Cyprus and Greece, replacing the ferry "Daleela", with the Deputy Minister of Shipping, Marina Hatzimanoli expressing optimism about the future of the service.
At a press conference, Marina Hadjimanoli said that the routes, from Cyprus, depart from the port of Limassol, with "the first sailing of the ship on May 29, while the last route, from Piraeus to Limassol, is scheduled for September 1".
In total, he continued, 22 round trips will be carried out, as the contractual obligation of the contractor company Scandro Holdings Ltd, which is noted that it did not increase fares, since the fuel for the ship had already been secured before the price increase.
The Deputy Minister expressed her satisfaction that "this line has been embraced by the public and has contributed to the creation of a new segment of the tourism market, enhancing the connectivity of Cyprus with Greece and by extension with continental Europe".
The start of bookings and the purchase of tickets for this year, she added, will start on Wednesday, April 22, while referring to the replacement of the ship, she said that "AF Marina" is expected to offer upgraded services and amenities for passengers.
Specifically, Ms. Hatzimanoli emphasized, a larger number of cabins are available and all have private toilets and bathrooms, there will be an increased passenger capacity, while special care has been taken for the transport of pets, which will now be accommodated inside cabins and not in special areas (kennels), significantly improving their travel conditions.
In addition, he indicated that a team of officials from the Deputy Ministry of Shipping and the Deputy Ministry of Tourism inspected the hotel facilities of the ship, which is in Italy for upgrade purposes, with the aim of ensuring the offer of quality and safe services to the passenger public.
Expressing the position that "the prospects for the viability of the line remain positive", Marina Hatzimanoli underlined that the goal is, through the continuous improvement of services, to further strengthen the interest of the public and the shipping industry, so that in the future this connection becomes permanent, sustainable and self-reliant.
The Deputy Minister wished that this season is as successful as previous years and that the passenger public continues to trust and support the maritime passenger connection between Cyprus and Greece.
In the context of the press conference, the characteristics of the new ferry "AF Marina", which was built in 1994, with a capacity to carry 394 passengers and 290 vehicles, depending on their length, were presented.
It has 20 single, 10 double and 58 quadruple cabins, two triple cabins for the disabled, eight quadruple cabins for passengers with pets as well as 84 airline seats. Its infrastructure includes a restaurant, cafeteria, doctor's office and casino.
Reference was also made to the comparative data of the four previous years of operation of the service, which, between the 1st and 4th year, records an increase of 6.27% in the number of passengers, a 157.14% increase in the number of disabled people, a 35.07% increase in vehicles and a 74.63% increase in pets.
A change in this year's cancellation policy is also underlined, as it was observed that citizens made multiple reservations, of which they eventually used only one, as a result of which they deprived other interested parties of their seats. Therefore, the new cancellation policy provides for non-refund of the value of the tickets, except for port fees, in case of cancellation, as well as the imposition of a fee for ticket modification.
