by Theodoros Kontes, director MAJESTIC INTERNATIONAL CRUISES INC., Honorary President, Union of Cruise ship Owners & Associate Members
On Friday 11th October, during the recent Malta Maritime Summit 2024 at the Grand Hotel Excelsior, we experienced a full day that referred to sea tourism, including cruising, yachting, marinas and touristic ports, as well as the overtourism impact. Here is Theodoros Kontes’ presentation:
“Sea Tourism – Finding a balance” – Cruise Statistics Cruise Liners Overtourism impact
- 2023 Cruise statistics:
- Worldwide deployment with Caribbean on 35.9%, Mediterranean 18.5%, North Europe 12.4%. Balance to the rest destinations.
- Capacities berths available in Caribbean 948300 lower berths, Mediterranean 488900, Baltic / UK 358100, rest destinations that follow at lower level.
- Europe economic impacts with total economic output in 2023 on a region of €36.1 billions and direct spendings 18.5 billion and employees’ compensation 10.5 billion with 382000 number of jobs and passengers’ embarkation 6.1M passengers.
- Nationalities of cruising with USA 16.3 M, Germans 3.4M, UK 2.69M, Italy 1.9M, China 1.7MN, Australia 1.5M, Canada 1.4M followed by all other nationalities to a total of 31.7 M.
- Total cruisers 448 with 735000 lower berths. New building on order 67 from 2024-2030 with 98000 additional berths.
- Records estimated graph:
Eventually numbers have been improved by 2023 and we are expecting further improvements by the year 2025.
- Greek ports cruising in years 2015 – 2025:
- Overtourism controls / sustainable cruise:
- In Europe:
Several destinations are considered crucial, mainly the top in interest places, in addition to the most important tourist destinations.
Following are the cruising affects and proposed actions to be taken:
– Each cruising area needs to be managed and special actions to be taken in order to keep control in operation and services to be provided,
– Greek islands and other destinations need to be checked on all respect for services, safety and comfort to be given to the visitors
during the season.
– West Med destinations that have similar issues and reactions have already started from the local / permanent residents
North Europe is also a place with certain issues during the season, including cruising, which is also considered the short period of trading with a great number of guests. Please see main European cities during the season at a heavy tourism traffic.
- In Balearic Islands:
Following are further actions requested to be taken in –
– Balearic Islands with the sign “Less Tourism, more life”.
– Less governmental financial investment for Tourism,
– No more airports and extended landed areas,
– Fewer flights throughout the year and control of the flights in each period,
– No more commercialization of coastal and beaches presentation ,
– No more advertisement and promotion of the tourism,
– Increase in the rate of tourism taxation to a proportionate level, depending on destination capacity
- Greek destinations controls:
Each destination, either in islands or in main land calls have created certain negative impact to the guests, as well as to the local people due to luck of controls and infrastructures.
Please see hereunder Main destinations with problems:
– Santorini (photos with overtourism waiting cable train are listed hereunder),
– Mykonos – Kos – Corfu – Rhodes, and many more places depending on timing and calls of cruisers as well as the infrastructures exist and services in operation.
Following are the main topics to be considered:
– Port infrastructures and shore side terminals / services and traffic,
– Berth allocation system to apply globally in the area in order to make reservation of berth well in advance, counting the passengers / crew on board upon arrival,
– Further study is required to be made for each destination, number of visitors from cruisers to be allowed, evaluated services to be provided to guests, as well as the vessels, the areas of interest, the busses, the available berths, and of course all the services to be provided without disturbing the daily life of local population.
– Decision to be taken for the allowance of daily visits for extra cruise visitors.
In order to calculate the numbers that may be allowed, the local authorities and central Government made the proper calculations based on local permanent residents, the facilities / services available and the historical and interesting places available. Based on these as well as the hotels berths available as well as the coastal vessel and day cruisers traffic, the cruise number of guests visitors should be calculated. Already for Santorini, 8000 cruising passengers applied daily, but unfortunately, this number was never followed as several days the visitors may have been up to 18000 or even more in one day!!!
The weather and climate change in general may create problems due to overheating and many more, and it should also be considered for the final allowed number of visitors. Several issues with over-electricity requirements and a shortage of water may increase the problems created.
In most of the main cities in Europe, an extra entrance / tax fee applies in order the visitors to be reduced. Unfortunately, our opinion is that even for such an extra cost, visitors do not change their vacation plans and therefore, this does not assist visitors’ controls.
Even in Greece, from 2025 they will apply an additional entrance fee starting from the top interest destinations, i.e for Santorini and Mykonos euro20- per person per day on cruisers, and euro5- for the rest destinations in high season and a discounted rate will be applied in low seasons. Nevertheless, even in Greece, there will be no reduction of visitors, but the only concern will be the extra tax income, if it is going to improve the infrastructures in each destination.
All these considerations should be applied to all destinations since there are different expected causes per area, including the main destinations and all sizes of harbors and islands.
- The Piraeus Main harbor:
Piraeus, the main Harbor and main homeport, has several traffic issues and other luck of infrastructures in which case the operation could be difficult when a great number of cruisers is in port and guests are organized to be transferred or to perform shore excursions.
The traffic issue needs to be solved by improving the roads, controlling and constructing a highway traffic in the main harbor and around the port.
– Same problem has been resolved in Genoa with overground roads. They constructed main highway traffic roads resolving in this way the traffic problems. See hereunder present photos:
- LUXURY CRUISERS ASSIST THE OVERTOURISM DUE TO SIZE
The luxury cruise vessels are progressively increased, mainly after the COVID period, and in last years it follows up the orderbook, as well as the followed year the numbers of the luxury small or medium sized vessels (including the expedition cruisers) have increased and improved a lot the comfort / services and technical issues, including the environmental better performance.
Sizes up to maximum 999 passengers (SAGA CRUISES) and EXPLORA of 922 passengers (MSC Group) with the majority luxury cruisers up to 500 passengers.
We will also introduce the forecast of the new building luxury cruisers and under design presently for building till 2100, (future design concept).
