17.3% increase in cruise passengers, 11.2% rise in port calls
Photo: Corfu Port Authority
CORFU. More than 556,000 cruise passengers passed through Corfu Port up to the end of July, with the number of ship calls increasing by 11.2%. Cruise traffic in June alone was up 30%.
The first seven months of 2026 ended with a significant increase in both passenger numbers and cruise ship calls at Corfu Port, according to figures released by the Corfu Port Authority.
From January through July, 556,479 cruise passengers passed through the port, compared with 474,331 during the same period in 2025, representing an increase of 17.3%. At the same time, 279 cruise ship calls were recorded, up from 251 last year, an increase of 11.2%.
Traffic was particularly strong at the start of the summer season. In June, 163,488 passengers were recorded, compared with 125,627 in the same month of 2025, an increase of 30.1%. Ship calls rose from 61 to 72.
The upward trend continued in July, with 165,018 passengers compared with 145,440 last year (+13.5%), while ship calls increased to 69 from 63 (+9.5%).
Corfu Port Authority noted that these results were achieved despite geopolitical tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, which have prompted cruise companies to adjust their itineraries.
Meanwhile, two studies concerning cruise passenger facilities are expected to be completed during 2026: one for the new Cruise Passenger Terminal and another for the new Non-Schengen Passenger Terminal, with a combined budget of €414,000.
The Port Authority says these projects form part of its strategy to strengthen Corfu’s position as a cruise port in the Adriatic and the Mediterranean.
ELENI KORONAKI
