According to data published this week by the Bank of Greece (BoG), cruise passengers who visited Greece in 2018 generated a remarkable €908.4 million in travel receipts. This represents an impressive 84.1% growth in comparison to the corresponding period in 2022.
In particular, the final data for 2023 collected by the central bank from 16 main Greek ports representing 83.7% of all cruise ship arrivals indicated that additional receipts of €847.4 million were generated by last port travellers (those departing the country), while €61.0 million came from those arriving at the port.
Piraeus dominated port activity in 2023, accounting for 47.8% of total cruise-related receipts. Corfu and Santorini followed with 13.3% and 8.5%, respectively. Ninety-two per cent of total cruise receipts and eighty-two per cent of total cruise passenger visits occurred at seven key cruise ship destinations in Greece.
In total, 5,152 cruise ships visited Greece in 2023, an increase from the 4,598 that visited in 2022. Annually, the number of overnight stays ashore rose by 121.5% to 9,421.9 thousand, which contributed to an increase in cruise revenue. Estimates place the total number of cruise passengers at 3,484.1 thousand, an increase of 61.1% annually.
The locations that received the most cruise ship arrivals were Mykonos (14.5 per cent), Santorini (15.5% share), and Piraeus (14.8 per cent).
In 2023, the aggregate count of cruise passenger visits surged by 55.0%, from 4,493.6 thousand in 2022 to 6,964.2 thousand. 83.6% of the total were transit passengers who made an average of 2.0 layovers at Greek ports of call.
Based on provisional data released in March by the Hellenic Ports Association (ELIME), Greece surpassed all cruise records in 2023, as 49 ports received 5,230 cruise ship arrivals and 7,003,150 passengers, representing increases of 9.41% and 51.26%, respectively, compared to 2022.
The harbour of Piraeus processed 1,500,000 passengers, Santorini 1,298,968, Mykonos 1,192,822, Corfu, Rhodes, Katakolo, and Heraklion, according to ELIME data.
