Thessaloniki Port Authority (ΟΛΘ) raises the bar higher anticipating the city’s port to evolve into one of the major cruise destinations in the Eastern Mediterranean”, CEO Dimitris Makris stated to Athens News Agency (ANA- MPA).
According to ANA-MPA data, in 2015 the port of Thessaloniki will attract 34 cruisers, four more than last year and 16 more in relation to 2013, reaching a growth rate of + 72.22%.
Among the cruise ships that dropped anchor in Thessaloniki port this year, 13 were newcomers. The first cruise ship arrived in Thessaloniki at the end of March, while the latter is expected to enter in the middle of November. According to Mr. Makris, the busiest months are September and October, accounting for half the overall season’s traffic.
“The port of Thessaloniki has all the features and specifications to become a cruise home port” he stresses and adds: “The number of cruise visitors has increased in recent years, but remains low compared to the possibilities and the attractions of the region, despite the fact, that, as cruise companies themselves admit, it is absolutely safe for vessels and passengers and continuously improves its provided services.”
The pivotal issue, according to him, still remains the promotion of the comparative advantages of Thessaloniki as a tourist destination. To this end, the Thessaloniki Port Authority SA cooperates with all city tourism related bodies – the Municipality of Thessaloniki, the Region of Central Macedonia as well as the city’s Tourism Promotion and Marketing Agency.
At the same time, the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (TAIPED) announced an alteration in the conditions of the ongoing tender process for the acquisition of the majority of the share capital of the Thessaloniki Port Authority in Northern Greece. The tender process for the Thessaloniki Port Authority, the country’s second largest container port following the port of Piraeus, is currently in its second phase.
TAIPED announced that the winner of the process will now get 51% of the share capital of the port instead of the original 67% and will receive the remaining 16% five years later after a number of agreed investments. “The amended terms will be communicated to all investors who have been qualified for the second phase of the process, and according to the timetable, binding bids are expected in February 2016,” TAIPED’s statement notes.
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