The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) requested in a statement that the new fee to be imposed on cruises be applied from 2026, after the start of a dialogue with the relevant bodies of the sector.
Tourism Minister Olga kefalogianni has recently announced that a special fee will be imposed per passenger disembarking from a cruise ship in the ports of Mykonos and Santorini amounting to 20 euros while in the rest of the country’s ports the fee will reach 5 euros from June 1 to September 30.
She also said that the fee will be 40% reduced (i.e. 12 and 3 euros respectively) in April, May and October, while from November to March it will be reduced by 80% (i.e. 4 and 1 euros respectively).
“We encourage the government to consider the potential economic impact of the new per passenger charge on cruise tourism and reiterate our call for meaningful consultation with cruise lines, local government, ports and tourism operators affected by it,” CLIA noted.
It also pointed out that the new berth management systems will be implemented in Santorini and Mykonos as of 2025 and therefore called on the government to implement the new fee system from 2026 onwards.
It also welcomed the comments of the Tourism Minister regarding the importance of port infrastructure for improving the management of tourist flows, but also the desire to highlight new destinations, priorities that are aligned with the CLIA Action Plan for Greece, adopted last year.