Greece welcomed the first cruise ship to dock at Piraeus port this year, while aiming to double sea tourism traffic by 2016 as part of efforts to lift the debt-ridden country out of recession and avert a default.
This week, the 3,200-passenger capacity vessel “MSC Magnifica” became the first of at least 800 cruise ships expected to sail into Piraeus, Greece’s largest port, in 2012.
Tourists and crew were warmly greeted by local officials led by Greek Development, Competitiveness and Shipping Minister Michalis Chryssohoidis, who stressed that the strengthening of sea tourism was key to boosting growth and fixing the ailing Greek economy.
In 2011, the Piraeus port hosted 936 cruise ships with over 2.5 million passengers on board, recording a 35-percent increase in annual traffic over the year before.
Athens aims to turn Piraeus and Greece into a major attraction for cruise passengers in the Mediterranean Sea, and double sea cruise traffic by 2016 with a planned set of measures and projects.
The draft bill regarding the abolition of all remaining restrictions on cruise ships flying third-country flags being allowed to travel in Greek waters, is due to be submitted to the Greek parliament within days.
In 2012, a bold plan to expand docking capacity from 11 to 17 cruise ships at Piraeus and construct a monorail within the port to ease traffic jams is also expected to get under way.
The 360-million-euro (465.41 million U.S. dollars) projects will be ready by 2015, according to the timetable.
By then, according to estimates, cruising could add up to four percent to the Greek GDP and the number of tourists visiting Greece on cruise ships could top five million persons per year.
The tourism industry, traditionally one of the pillars of the Greek national economy, today accounts for some 18 percent of the country’s GDP.
(source:CRIENGLISH.com)
Salonica
21°
