A s cruise activity continues to evolve across the Eastern Mediterranean, the Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum 2025 explored the challenges and opportunities shaping future deployment strategies in the region — from infrastructure gaps to the uneven rise in demand across neighboring destinations.
The trend of cruise lines also deploying larger vessels in the Eastern Mediterranean to meet growing demand is going to feature high in the list of PSTF topics. While these ships offer economies of scale and increased passenger capacity, they strain the region’s port and tourism infrastructure, especially when there are multiple ships in port. Marquee destinations are now imposing daily passenger caps or passenger taxes, as is the case with Santorini and its 8,000-person per day limit, while other ports are contemplating similar restrictions.
As the 8th Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum (PSTF) opens its doors in Heraklion this May, the spotlight is firmly on the Eastern Mediterranean, where the cruise industry faces multiple challenges potentially slowing its growth. These range from concerns about overcrowding and its strain on local environments and resources to port infrastructure deficiencies and geopolitical uncertainties.
Under the theme “The Med: A Compelling Need for New Marquee Ports & Destinations,” this year’s forum will bring together key industry stakeholders, industry leaders and policy makers to explore these pressing issues and find solutions. Discussions will focus on solutions and strategies to overcome these challenges while unlocking new opportunities for sustainable and consistent growth.
“The wider Eastern Mediterranean faces complex dynamics,” said George Koumpenas, President, Hellenic Cruise Ship Owners and Associated Members’ Union (EEKFN), “The ongoing Gaza conflict and escalating security risks in the Red Sea have significantly contracted the cruise footprint across the region, echoing patterns last seen after the Arab Spring. Key markets such as Israel, Egypt, Cyprus, and parts of SouthernTurkey are experiencing a notable downturn.”
Despite these pressures, Greece has demonstrated resilience, with strong recovery figures post-pandemic and promising forecasts.
According to data from the Hellenic Ports’ Association (E.LIM.E.), Greece recorded 5,490 cruise ship calls in 2024, representing a total of 7,927,709 passenger visits – an increase of 260 calls and 924,559 passenger movements compared to the previous year. Homeporting activity continues its upward trend, with Piraeus leading the charge with 635 cruise turnarounds and over 1.1 million passengers, followed by Corfu, Heraklion, Lavrion, and Thessaloniki.
But challenges to further growth remain. Although the region recovered quickly after the pandemic crisis, Turkey has yet to reach its erstwhile heights as a dominant cruise magnet. With a potential reopening of cruising in the Black Sea not in sight, coupled with Turkey’s slower recovery, the performance of Greek ports in the Northern and Eastern Aegean sea has also been impacted to a degree.
Without coordinated action, infrastructure limitations could hinder further growth. “A more holistic and forward-thinking development strategy is now essential,” said Athanasios Liagos, Chairman, E.LIM.E. “Investments must be directed at both expanding and modernising Greek ports, and also those at smaller emerging destinations, and at the same time safeguarding the cultural and environmental heritage that makes these destinations attractive in the first place.”
Cruise stakeholders will call for enhanced collaboration between governments and the cruise industry to earmark specific destinations for sustainable expansion. Larger vessels are expected to remain the industry standard, making it crucial to identify ports with the capacity
– and the means and ambition – to upgrade facilities without compromising authenticity.
“As operators, we see enormous potential in the East Med beyond the traditional hotspots,” commented Manolis Alevropoulos, Vice President, Marine Operations, Celebrity Cruises – Royal Caribbean Group. “With the right infrastructure and destination management, several underutilized ports could emerge as marquee destinations in their own right, unlocking tremendous value for travellers and local economies alike.”
There are several mainland and island destinations across the whole region with great potential for an infrastructure upgrade that could support larger vessels and provide valuable travel experiences, but remain dormant and unexploited. Any future growth strategy will have to take this destination potential into account.
HERAKLION PORT FOCUSES ON CRUISE
The cruise industry is of vital importance to the Heraklion Port Authority (HPA), serving as one of the primary pillars of its strategic development as a key hub for cruise tourism in the Eastern Mediterranean. HPA is currently undergoing a significant transformation since it officially became part of the Grimaldi Group, and is now preparing for its third PSTF, which this year will be held a stone’s throw away at the Mikis Theodorakis Convention Centre. This strategic development is expected to bring substantial investments aimed at enhancing infrastructure and services for the cruise industry. Future plans include potential upgrades in port facilities, improved passenger amenities, and innovative solutions to support sustainable growth. Minas Papadakis, CEO, Heraklion Port Authority SA, said: “The port remains committed to providing high-quality services to cruise operators and visitors. PSTF 2025 offers a vital platform to showcase the Port of Heraklion’s growing capabilities and sustainable innovations. As a Diamond Sponsor of the event, we are proud to support this key gathering of industry leaders and present our strategic initiatives that enhance our services and contribute to the cruise industry’s growth in the Eastern Mediterranean”.
REGION OF CRETE TO SHOWCASE ISLAND’S DIVERSE OFFERING AT PSTF 2025
The Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum is one of the 36 tourism exhibitions, workshops and roadshows in the Region of Crete’s 2025 marketing and events calendar as it steps up its efforts to capitalize on the island’s international appeal as a Tier 1 summer destination in the Eastern Mediterranean, with an annual tourism inflow of approximately 6.5 million. Vice Governor for Tourism, Dr. Kyriakos Kotsoglou, Region of Crete, said: “The Region of Crete actively supports the Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum, which will be held for the first time in Crete. With great joy and high expectations, we are preparing to host the forum, organized by the organizers of the most important maritime event in the world, Posidonia. The organization of the forum in Heraklion is part of the strategic plan of the Region of Crete for a strong, extroverted, sustainable and competitive tourism sector in Crete. The presence at the forum of dozens of cruise companies, specialized tourist agencies and organizations from all over the world constitutes a significant challenge for the further development of cruising on the island, contributing to the reduction of seasonality and the strengthening of Crete’s tourism product. At the same time, highlighting the island’s historical, cultural and environmental reserves to visitors from all over the world.”
NAVIGATOR TRAVEL TO SHOWCASE NEW CRUISE ITINERARIES AT POSIDONIA SEA TOURISM FORUM
Navigator Travel, the Athens-based GSA for leading cruise brands – including Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara, and Silversea Cruises – is setting sail for Heraklion this spring to participate in the Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum for the eighth consecutive time. “The Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum remains the premier cruise-related event, consistently upholding the quality of excellence associated with the Posidonia brand,” said Andreas Stylianopoulos, President of Navigator Travel. At this year’s Forum, Navigator Travel will spotlight exciting new itineraries departing from Piraeus, featuring Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas, as well as Celebrity Cruises’Infinity,with sailings starting and ending in Piraeus.The event will serve as a key platform for Navigator Travel to connect with industry professionals and promote Greece as a top-tier cruise hub.
PORT TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT APP ON DISPLAY AT PSTF
System Integrator NBS and ICT services provider BEWISE are bringing their consortium to PSTF for the second consecutive time, following their Thessaloniki debut two years ago, where they launched a PaaS application ‘e.Berth marine allocation platform’. “The massive increase in passengers/visitors and commercial traffic at Greek ports in recent years drives us to design and develop innovative technological solutions that optimize management, service, and security standards in a cost-effective manner,”said Menelaos Makrigiannis, Founder & CEO, BEWISE. At PSTF 2025, the consortium will present its ‘mature’ product and the use cases they have already in place with Lavrio Port Authority and Rhodes Port Authority. Aris Zias, General Manager, NBS, said: “Our participation in and our main intention for PSTF 2025 is to present the latest version of our e.Berth port traffic management application and the additional features it can provide to port authorities and cruise stakeholders and operators.”
MARINE FINTECH COMES ONBOARD
US Maritime Payment Solutions LLC is making its PSTF debut this year, where it plans to showcase ShipMoney, an e-wallet and Visa branded payroll card program for seafarers. “The cruise business is a very important segment of our business, with numerous cruise and cruise-related clients,” said Stuart Ostrow, President.“We are very excited to exhibit for the first time at the Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum this year. Our company is based in Miami, the cruise capital of the world, and we have been an active member of the cruise community from the day we launched ShipMoney.”
