Representatives to discuss growth of the cruise industry in Eastern Mediterranean region
By
Sean Dudley |
The third Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum will take place May 26-27 in Athens, Greece.
Senior delegates from leading global cruise lines will be in attendance to discuss the developments and challenges facing the industry in the Eastern Mediterranean area.
The event will see senior officials from Azamara Club Cruises, Celestyal Cruises, Crystal Cruises, MSC Cruises and Royal Caribbean Cruises head to Athens to meet representatives from the region’s private sector, government bodies and regulatory bodies.
“I am confident that the East Mediterranean will continue to recover as a cruising sub-region in spite of the fact that some of its strong destinations are still out of play,” said Royal Caribbean Cruises’ representative Andreas Stylianopoulos, president and CEO, Navigator Travel. “One important factor in the renewal of demand for East Mediterranean cruises is that Greece, as a tourist destination, has recently become very much in fashion worldwide. Sustainability in tourism requires a clear vision with farseeing strategies, constant nurturing with great attention to detail and of course, political stability coupled with consistent policy.”
Greece is enjoying a growing cruise presence, with passenger calls reaching a total of 5 million in 2014.
Posidonia Exhibitions’ executive director Theodore Vokos, who is organising the event, said: “Several Greek cruise ports are among the top ranking in Europe in absolute passenger visits and this, in combination with the emergence of new cruise ports in the region, will continue to provide cruise lines with a significant choice of exciting and lucrative destination options.”
Other topics covered at the event will include the future of yachting in Greece, as well as marina development and utilisation.
New potential homeports and ports of call in the region will help facilitate the series of new vessels that are being delivered in 2015. These include for companies such as TUI, Costa and P&O Cruises, as well as the deployment of mega ships such as Anthem of the Seas, Allure of the Seas and Norwegian Epic.
The building momentum in the industry also affects suppliers in the region, and some of the Eastern Mediterranean’s leading exporters will participate in the European F&B Cruise Ship Supply Industry Workshop together with delegates and exhibitors at the event. This workshop provides attendees with the chance to network with key representatives from the Cruise Procurement and Supply sector.
“We are delighted by the response we have received so far from the global and regional cruise and yacht sectors in terms of speakers, delegates and exhibitors for our Confex event,” said Vokos. “Delegates of the third edition of the Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum are in for two days of insightful, forward-looking deliberations that will hopefully lead to mutually beneficial networking opportunities, new business development, synergies and best practice and ideas exchange to help unlock the full potential of sea tourism for the Eastern Mediterranean region.”
The Forum will take place at the Megaron Athens International Conference Centre.