Cruise sustainability issue brought to table at 62nd Medcruise General Assembly
Medcruise
25 May 2023
/ 17:55
CORFU. Spyros Zervopoulos: Corfu Port is already implementing the berth allocation system for the distribution of arrivals, as well as their equal distribution on all days of the week.
Corfu is attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. But at the same time, the island, especially the Old Town, is suffocating from overtourism, as day-trippers on cruise ships are added to the visitors who enjoy their holidays here.
In fact, according to data from the Corfu Port Authority, 2022 ended with 550,000 passengers in Corfu Port from cruise ships, while this year it is estimated that this number will be exceeded based on the very good occupancy rates that exist (80%) from the beginning of this year's tourist season.
The issue of the sustainability of cruises, i.e. the high number of people and overcrowding in some destinations, is expected to be addressed, amongst others, at the 62nd General Assembly of MedCruise (Association of Mediterranean Cruise Ports), which has been taking place in Corfu since 23 May with the participation of executives of the port and shipping industry, port administrations and representatives of all cruise companies.
As the Corfu Port Authority CEO Spyros Zervopoulos told Enimerosi, the Port Authority and the Central Corfu Municipality joined forces two years ago with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) for the evaluation of sustainability objectives at local level and the design of a roadmap for the development of sustainable tourism.
"The link between overtourism and cruises is an issue that is being addressed in the General Assembly. We are trying to improve in the areas where we are lagging behind, based on the study that was carried out, such as traffic. As a destination, however, we do not have the kind of problems that Venice, Dubrovnik and Barcelona have. We are something else," said Mr. Zervopoulos.
Berth allocation
As he explained, Corfu Port is already implementing the berth allocation system for the distribution of arrivals, as well as their equal distribution on all days of the week. "This is not only done by our port but also in cooperation with the neighbouring ports through which cruises pass. All ports agree to this arrangement. Our port is also a pioneer in the software of this system," he said, stressing that the issue of a destination's sustainability is not only of concern to the residents of an area but also to the cruise companies themselves, so that their customers are satisfied.
He also pointed out that the benefits of cruising are significant for Corfu, as apart from boosting the local economy, a large number of locals are working in the cruise industry.
Attractions outside the town
However, given the large number of cruise visitors mainly in the historic town centre, the Deputy Mayor of Tourism Panos Varouchas pointed out that emphasis should be placed on the adoption of solutions to decongest the situation.
"All responsible bodies have to find solutions. Such would be, for example, points of interest outside the town, sharing at cruise arrivals and departures and creation of parking areas outside the town. These are solutions proposed by the Cruise Lines International Association itself so that we don't get to a point where the destination doesn't want the cruise," he said.
According to Mr. Varouchas, the population of the island more than doubles mainly in July and August. That is why the Central Corfu Municipality is moving forward with the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan to address the significant traffic problem from which Corfu suffers.
Barcelona and Venice
Barcelona has long been battling with the number of cruise ship tourists arriving in the city, which in 2019 reached a record number of just over 3.1 million. The Municipality wants to limit cruise ship passengers to 200,000 a month, but arrivals are constantly increasing with the daily number of cruise visitors reaching 25,000.
The city's Deputy Mayor Janet Sanz spoke to The Guardian about the problems this kind of tourism brings and said that "we're walking and suddenly there's this mass of people who appear all together on the street" explaining that these tourists "don't consume anything and have no economic impact. They just wander around for four or five hours and leave". (The statements were made in April 2023)
Against Sanz's claim in her letter to the regional government that a cap on ship arrivals would guarantee "the environmental sustainability of the city", the Barcelona Port claimed that 20% of cruise traffic set to arrive this year would be fuelled by liquefied natural gas, while 62% of stopovers would be made by ships that were less than 10 years old.
Another example of an international tourist destination that has suffered from too many cruise ship arrivals is Venice. These resulted in the authorities in Venice banning cruise ships from sailing through the historic canal and designating a new port of call outside the lagoon, shortly before the outbreak of the pandemic. Cruise companies reacted strongly, but eventually complied with this bold decision by the local authorities. (With information from ot.gr, newmoney.gr)
Photos: Enimerosi
In fact, according to data from the Corfu Port Authority, 2022 ended with 550,000 passengers in Corfu Port from cruise ships, while this year it is estimated that this number will be exceeded based on the very good occupancy rates that exist (80%) from the beginning of this year's tourist season.
The issue of the sustainability of cruises, i.e. the high number of people and overcrowding in some destinations, is expected to be addressed, amongst others, at the 62nd General Assembly of MedCruise (Association of Mediterranean Cruise Ports), which has been taking place in Corfu since 23 May with the participation of executives of the port and shipping industry, port administrations and representatives of all cruise companies.
As the Corfu Port Authority CEO Spyros Zervopoulos told Enimerosi, the Port Authority and the Central Corfu Municipality joined forces two years ago with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) for the evaluation of sustainability objectives at local level and the design of a roadmap for the development of sustainable tourism.
"The link between overtourism and cruises is an issue that is being addressed in the General Assembly. We are trying to improve in the areas where we are lagging behind, based on the study that was carried out, such as traffic. As a destination, however, we do not have the kind of problems that Venice, Dubrovnik and Barcelona have. We are something else," said Mr. Zervopoulos.
Berth allocation
As he explained, Corfu Port is already implementing the berth allocation system for the distribution of arrivals, as well as their equal distribution on all days of the week. "This is not only done by our port but also in cooperation with the neighbouring ports through which cruises pass. All ports agree to this arrangement. Our port is also a pioneer in the software of this system," he said, stressing that the issue of a destination's sustainability is not only of concern to the residents of an area but also to the cruise companies themselves, so that their customers are satisfied.
He also pointed out that the benefits of cruising are significant for Corfu, as apart from boosting the local economy, a large number of locals are working in the cruise industry.
Attractions outside the town
However, given the large number of cruise visitors mainly in the historic town centre, the Deputy Mayor of Tourism Panos Varouchas pointed out that emphasis should be placed on the adoption of solutions to decongest the situation.
"All responsible bodies have to find solutions. Such would be, for example, points of interest outside the town, sharing at cruise arrivals and departures and creation of parking areas outside the town. These are solutions proposed by the Cruise Lines International Association itself so that we don't get to a point where the destination doesn't want the cruise," he said.
According to Mr. Varouchas, the population of the island more than doubles mainly in July and August. That is why the Central Corfu Municipality is moving forward with the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan to address the significant traffic problem from which Corfu suffers.
Barcelona and Venice
Barcelona has long been battling with the number of cruise ship tourists arriving in the city, which in 2019 reached a record number of just over 3.1 million. The Municipality wants to limit cruise ship passengers to 200,000 a month, but arrivals are constantly increasing with the daily number of cruise visitors reaching 25,000.
The city's Deputy Mayor Janet Sanz spoke to The Guardian about the problems this kind of tourism brings and said that "we're walking and suddenly there's this mass of people who appear all together on the street" explaining that these tourists "don't consume anything and have no economic impact. They just wander around for four or five hours and leave". (The statements were made in April 2023)
Against Sanz's claim in her letter to the regional government that a cap on ship arrivals would guarantee "the environmental sustainability of the city", the Barcelona Port claimed that 20% of cruise traffic set to arrive this year would be fuelled by liquefied natural gas, while 62% of stopovers would be made by ships that were less than 10 years old.
Another example of an international tourist destination that has suffered from too many cruise ship arrivals is Venice. These resulted in the authorities in Venice banning cruise ships from sailing through the historic canal and designating a new port of call outside the lagoon, shortly before the outbreak of the pandemic. Cruise companies reacted strongly, but eventually complied with this bold decision by the local authorities. (With information from ot.gr, newmoney.gr)
Photos: Enimerosi
