Cruise Ship Arrivals in Thessaloniki Have Increased Tenfold Compared to 2019
The Greek Minister of Tourism Vasilis Kikilias has announced that this year saw a ten times increase in the arrival of tourist ships in Thessaloniki compared to 2019, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
“This, coded, means an increase in the tourism product and a strengthening of the local economy. As a culmination of this effort, the 2023 Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum (PSTF) will be held in Thessaloniki, which deserves high performance in sea tourism. It is particularly encouraging that the first signals show that in 2023 we will have an even greater increase in cruise ship arrivals,” he pointed out in this regard.
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Executive Director of OLTH SA, Athanasios Liagos, also stated that OLTH SA aspires to be a growth portal, creating added value for the city, economy, and society. He emphasized that the cruise results justify the efforts for substantial stimulation.
“We, therefore, look forward to hosting PSTF 2023 and welcoming to our city some of the world’s most important and influential representatives of the international cruise and marine tourism industry,” he said.
At the same time, Managing Director of Posidonia Exhibitions S.A. Theodoros Vokos explained that the decision to move the 7th edition of PSTF to Thessaloniki was easy considering that the city is rapidly developing into a seasonal centre for North Aegean, with the ambition to become an important home port for an extended season and for all cruise lines that choose to be based in Greece.
In April next year, the 7th Posidonia Maritime Tourism Forum (PSTF) will take place for the first time outside of Athens, at a time when Greece’s second largest port is emerging as an important transport hub in a home for the Eastern Mediterranean and the Balkans, and this is thanks to the investments in the improvement of the maritime and aviation infrastructure and the great increase in the tourism product.
Moreover, PSTF 2023 is sponsored by THPA SA as a Diamond Sponsor, organized under the auspices of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Island Policy and the Ministry of Tourism. It will also be supported by the Hellenic Chamber of Transport, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). ), the Association of Mediterranean Cruise Ports, and the Union of Cruise Ship Owners and Associate Members.
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