CLIA: The cruise industry is not to blame for overtourism in Greece

Is the cruise sector ultimately a problem for some very popular destinations, is it responsible for overtourism, or is this view wrong?

This question was also raised at the 7th Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum which took place in the middle of the week in Thessaloniki.

Cruise ship arrivals in Thessaloniki up tenfold compared to 2019

And in Greece this question mainly concerns Santorini and Mykonos, and on a regional level it concerns Venice, and destinations that occasionally record an excessive number of cruise ship arrivals during the course of a single day.

Industry representatives

However, as expected, industry representatives estimated that the cruise sector is not responsible for any overtourism phenomena. They emphasized that where there is a problem of multiple simultaneous approaches there is the necessary flexibility on the part of the companies to adjust the itineraries of the ships.

At the same time, they defended the industry’s non-liability by giving examples. As mentioned there was a weekend in Venice that had 200,000 tourists and only one cruise ship and that with only 900 passengers.

The cruise industry makes up just 2% of the global tourism industry, another speaker said.

However, the President of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and CEO of MSC Cruises Pierfrancesco Vago, in his speech at the 7th Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum, was clear. I also hear and read various articles, he said, but added that this is a misconception about overtourism from the cruise sector.

Mr. Vago argued that as an industry “we are always ready to deal with critical issues and find solutions,” and gave the example of the Acropolis of Athens.

Tour operators and cruise lines, he said, are working together to coordinate visit routes and ensure there is no overcrowding or parking congestion at this world-famous monument.

The president of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) to dispel any concerns, further emphasized that cruising is a healthy and profitable investment for coastal communities as six out of 10 cruise travelers return, to the places they visited as part of a cruise, for a longer stay .

He even predicted more growth in the future as CLIA research shows that the intention to  go on cruises is higher today than it was before the pandemic. 85% of people who have cruised in the past are likely to cruise again – 6% higher than in 2019.

Benefit to local economies

And to leave no room for doubt he “attacked” the “deniers” that have “billions”. The cruise industry benefits local economies here and across Europe, he stressed.

In 2021, and despite the health restrictions the cruise industry had a positive economic impact of €41 billion across the continent, supporting 315,000 jobs in Europe.

Specifically in Greece, the economic benefit exceeded 1 billion euros, while it created more than 15,000 jobs in the country. In Greece today, the economic benefits from tourists arriving on Greek shores by cruise ships are already higher than in 2019.

This is partly due to the significant work of local authorities to increase homeporting infrastructure and services in Greece, according to Mr. Vago.

Last year, of the 87 CLIA cruise ships operating in Greece, 47 had a port of embarkation (homeporting) in Greek territory (54%).

Homeporting brings the greatest financial benefits to any destination.

It increases the time tourists spend ashore both pre- and post-cruise, including demand for accommodation near the port of embarkation.

There are also the benefits of the wealthier passengers spend during their stay, including services, dining, entertainment and shopping.

Each cruise tourist usually spends more than 400 euros at the port of embarkation, while the amount they spend in ports they visit during the cruise is estimated to be at least 100 euros per passenger.

The supply, maintenance and refueling of ships is of course in addition to all of these and results in more jobs at ports of embarkation.

Finally, the president of Clia referred to the industry’s efforts to “go green” by using alternative fuels and generators for cruise ships from land when they are in ports.