Europe’s largest cruise lines have already deployed 18 ships in the Eastern Mediterranean and other European destinations, and plan to increase operations to 28 ships in June and 50 in July, before reaching their peak of 60 operating cruise ships in August. More than half of these ships will be deployed in Greek waters, according to Ioannis Plakiotakis, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Island Policy, whose speech marked the official opening of this year’s digital Posidonia Maritime Tourism Forum.
“Forty cruise ships are expected to operate in Greek waters, and 45 ports have their own contingency plans developed to facilitate cruises without affecting the experience of passengers, crews, or local communities,” he said.
Greece has been praised for its efforts in developing a tourism product capable of instilling a sense of confidence as a safe destination, fully prepared to weather the consequences of the pandemic. This opinion was echoed by Pierfrancesco Vago, Chairman of CLIA Global and Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises: “Greece is one of the countries that has achieved a swift resumption of operations. Now more than ever, it seems like the time for renewal, as the sector emerges from the dark winter of Covid,” he said.
“Challenges will remain, but we are building back better and can be optimistic now, as we have worked with governments, terminals and destinations to develop protocols for a safe and responsible return to service,” he said.
More than 200,000 passengers have already experienced a cruise safely since the end of last summer, and this year the Eastern Mediterranean is leading the way with an early start that could help Greece become a permanent embarkation country, according to Vago.
But uncertainty about when cruise operations can resume at a level viable to sustain the industry is one of those challenges. TUI resumed operations last week from Crete, and its plan for this summer is to offer exclusively Greek cruises from Heraklion with two different itineraries. “If further travel restrictions are lifted, we will return to other itineraries. But between May and October, Greece is the only destination we are offering,” said Wybcke Meier, CEO of TUI Cruises.
According to MSC Cruises, some regions such as Asia and North America remain off-limits to the cruise industry, but its CEO, Gianni Onorato, predicts that more Europeans will enjoy cruises in the region this summer, as intercontinental destinations have been cut off due to air travel restrictions and protocols.
Michael Thamm, CEO of Costa Group and Carnival Asia, agrees: “Greece is a cornerstone for Germans, Italians, and French tourists because of its beauty and the natural desire to explore the country, and cruises are the best way to do so. We want to extend our presence in Greece beyond the season, even into December. Both our brands have resumed operations in Greece, and more ships will be coming.”.
But popularity can present some challenges, according to Chris Theofilides, CEO of Celestyal Cruises, the company that uses Greece as its home port and knows the market better than any other operator. “A high concentration of ships at any given time can be a challenge, especially in Greek ports, due to infrastructure issues. It’s not only the responsible thing to do, but also the right thing to do, both from the perspective of the guest experience and the local communities.”.
Meier shares these concerns: “Overtourism may end in a post-pandemic world, but we must ensure we don’t have too many ships in the same ports at the same time. And port operators must have the necessary infrastructure to accommodate larger ships.”.
A phased and responsible return is the right thing to do, and cruise companies are firmly focused on all Covid-related prevention and response protocols to ensure that the path to normality is short and sustained.
According to Onorato, “Until adequate uniformity is achieved among the different countries as soon as possible, we may encounter unnecessary problems, and this could make cruises uncompetitive compared to other forms of tourism. The protocols work, but we need greater uniformity.”.
This lack of uniformity gives operators leeway to implement stricter precautionary measures, with Norwegian Cruise Line being one of the companies that has decided to allow only fully vaccinated passengers and crew on board its ships, according to Kevin Bubolz, Managing Director for Europe, who also participated in PSTF 2021 in a roundtable discussion focused on the impact of new health protocols on shore excursions and destination management. Adam Sharp, Director of International Destination Development for the Royal Caribbean Group, confirmed that Royal Caribbean Cruises is also cooperating with NCL to standardize health protocols for the US market.
With a program of thought-provoking roundtables and 21 exhibitors showcasing their offerings on the interactive and engaging digital platform, PSTF 2021 was the first cruise industry event to bring together key industry leaders since the resumption of cruises in the Eastern Mediterranean in mid-May.
