The current year is considered lost for the cruise sector compared to previous years, with tourist arrivals experiencing serious losses.
The numbers indicate a significant drop compared to last year when around 170 cruise ships arrived at Limassol port, with the number of passengers reaching 283,289.
However, these numbers will not be seen this year as the cruise ships anchoring at Limassol port for a few hours amount to only 68.
The cause of the decrease in cruise ships is the war that has been raging in Gaza since late 2023.
The unstable situation in the wider Eastern Mediterranean region has significantly affected the cruise sector, with major cruise companies removing Israeli ports from their itineraries and cruise arrivals in Cyprus, especially in Limassol, which was a significant choice as an intermediate stop.
According to data held by Phileleftheros, in 2023, it was expected that Limassol port would receive over 200 cruise ships and more than 300,000 passengers.
However, due to the onset of the war in our neighbouring country in the fourth quarter of 2023, arrivals decreased rapidly.
The numbers for 2024, according to recorded data, are significantly reduced, with Limassol port expecting only 68 cruise ships with an estimated number of passengers touching 120,000.
Although bookings are confirmed regularly, it is expected that there will be no significant increase in visitors.
Cruise ship arrivals during the summer months reach around 10, while 19 ships have scheduled stops at Limassol port for October.
Note that the 68 cruise ships do not include the sea passenger connection routes between Cyprus and Greece, which start their routes on May 29, as reported by Phileleftheros, and bookings begin on April 17.
The developments in the cruise sector have not left the Government indifferent. In a meeting involving all stakeholders, attended by Ministers and Deputy Ministers, a decision was made to establish a Cruise Tourism Working Group to thoroughly study the cruise tourism issue and formulate a National Cruise Strategy.
The committee is coordinated by the Deputy Minister of Shipping, Marina Hadjimanolis, on behalf of the Government.
The aforementioned committee, as Phileleftheros reported a few days ago, had its first meeting with representatives from the Ministries of Transport, the Deputy Ministry of Shipping, the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, and the Cyprus Shipping Chamber.
Various issues concerning cruise tourism were discussed, with a common goal being the development and promotion of Cruise Tourism Action Plan.
Speaking to Phileleftheros, Hadjimanolis emphasized that the goal of the Government and all involved is “to become as competitive as possible and to best utilise cruise tourism”.
She further highlighted that it is an important sector for Cyprus, which can significantly contribute to our economy and promote our culture. She explained that the committee will meet regularly with the main goal of completing the action plan by September.
The Deputy Minister of Shipping participated in a panel discussion last month on the topic of decarbonising the cruise industry at the European Summit during the Cruise Week organised by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) in Genoa, Italy.
She updated attendees on Cyprus’s actions and initiatives in this direction.
At the same time, on March 14th, the Deputy Minister of Shipping addressed the conference, the proceedings of which focused on employment opportunities for women in the cruise industry, presenting the relevant action framework of the Ministry of Shipping.
Increasing cruise ship arrivals
Hadjimanolis emphasised that everyone’s desire is to be prepared for the coming years, highlighting that the goal is to have increasingly larger tourist arrivals via cruise ships.
These tourists, by utilising their arrival in our country, will be able to visit destinations across Cyprus, get to know our culture, and thus develop an affection for our place, prompting them to revisit the island.
Speaking to Phileleftheros, the Executive President of Top Kinisis and honorary president of the Association of Travel Agents, Akis Kelepesis, stated that this year is lost for the cruise sector due to the war in Israel.
As he said, the number of Cypriots travelling by cruise ships for 2024 did not exceed 25,000, and trips mainly concern the summer period.
“There is interest in vacations via cruise ships departing from ports like Piraeus, Barcelona, Rome, and Copenhagen,” he explained. These are cruises carried out with large cruise ships that tour the Eastern and Western Mediterranean and the Baltic.
For this year, the number of people travelling by cruise ships, according to current bookings, does not exceed 25,000, mainly during the summer period.
“If there was an option from Limassol port, many more would travel. All these are the consequences of the war in Israel, as companies chose not to schedule routes in the Eastern Mediterranean, resulting in no travel options from Limassol port,” he concluded.
