Tourism Minister announces reopening of ports to cruise ships from 1 August
tourism
29 Jul 2020
/ 13:53
ATHENS. Cruise ships to be allowed at six Greek ports, including Corfu, from Saturday - Global cruise industry remains frozen and August seems unlikely.
Greek Tourism Minister Haris Theoharis announced on Tuesday that six ports in Greece will be open to cruise ships as of August 1.
The announcement has raised a lot of questions as, on the one hand, the global cruise industry is 'frozen' at the moment and, on the other, most countries around the world, including Greece, are facing an increase in the number of coronavirus cases.
The six ports where cruise ships will be allowed are Piraeus, Rhodes, Heraklion, Volos, Corfu and Katakolo.
The Ministry sent a letter to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and three leading companies in the sector – MSC Cruises, Costa, TUI Cruises – confirming that cruise ships will be welcome to thse six ports.
For cruise ships to be allowed into the ports all passengers must have had a negative test result at least 72 hours prior to boarding and sample tests will also be carried out at the ports.
It must be pointed out, however, that most companies have suspended activities even up to the end of 2020, so just because the ports in Greece are reopening it doesn't mean that cruise ships will automatically start arriving.
Konstantinos Kouris, PR Manager at Corfu Port Authority, told Enimerosi earlier this week that all cruises scheduled for August have already been cancelled and beyond some general enquiries regarding small cruises there is nothing official scheduled at Corfu Port.
The Association of Cruise Ship Owners and Maritime Agencies president Theodoros Kontes also stressed in a statement to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency that the implementation of the cruise passenger protocols that have already been announced and are to be approved does not mean that this will translate into the resumption of the cruise sector in August as it takes a long time for the crews but also for the companies to prepare.
Asked if there are currently any cruise ships scheduled for Greece, Mr. Kontes said that some small companies have announced that they can start small cruises for three or four days without reaching the Greek ports - they would be sea tours which return to the original port - due to increased measures for the protection of passengers.
Regarding the large cruise ship companies, Kontes said that no company has announced the launch of itineraries in Greece before September - just as Corfu Port Authority told Enimerosi.
The announcement has raised a lot of questions as, on the one hand, the global cruise industry is 'frozen' at the moment and, on the other, most countries around the world, including Greece, are facing an increase in the number of coronavirus cases.
The six ports where cruise ships will be allowed are Piraeus, Rhodes, Heraklion, Volos, Corfu and Katakolo.
The Ministry sent a letter to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and three leading companies in the sector – MSC Cruises, Costa, TUI Cruises – confirming that cruise ships will be welcome to thse six ports.
For cruise ships to be allowed into the ports all passengers must have had a negative test result at least 72 hours prior to boarding and sample tests will also be carried out at the ports.
It must be pointed out, however, that most companies have suspended activities even up to the end of 2020, so just because the ports in Greece are reopening it doesn't mean that cruise ships will automatically start arriving.
Konstantinos Kouris, PR Manager at Corfu Port Authority, told Enimerosi earlier this week that all cruises scheduled for August have already been cancelled and beyond some general enquiries regarding small cruises there is nothing official scheduled at Corfu Port.
The Association of Cruise Ship Owners and Maritime Agencies president Theodoros Kontes also stressed in a statement to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency that the implementation of the cruise passenger protocols that have already been announced and are to be approved does not mean that this will translate into the resumption of the cruise sector in August as it takes a long time for the crews but also for the companies to prepare.
Asked if there are currently any cruise ships scheduled for Greece, Mr. Kontes said that some small companies have announced that they can start small cruises for three or four days without reaching the Greek ports - they would be sea tours which return to the original port - due to increased measures for the protection of passengers.
Regarding the large cruise ship companies, Kontes said that no company has announced the launch of itineraries in Greece before September - just as Corfu Port Authority told Enimerosi.
