The start of the Cruise season in Heraklion was officially announced by the Minister of Tourism, Vassilis Kikilias for the new tourist season of 2022.
Specifically, on Sunday, April 3, the Port of Heraklion Organization organized a special event on the cruise ship Mein Schiff 5, of TUI Cruises, moored at the pier V of the Port of Heraklion, which was attended by the Archbishop of Crete, His Eminence Mr. Eugene Mr. Secretary of the Aegean and Island Policy Mr. Koutoulakis, the General Manager of ELIME Mr. Iatridis, the Member of Parliament for Heraklion Mr. Senetakis, the Governor of Crete Mr. Arnaoutakis, the Mayor of Heraklion Mr. Lambros, Mr. B Local Government as well as representatives of Bodies and Organizations. Also important presentations from MEDcruise were the President Mrs. Ayan Figen, the General Secretary Mrs. Emilia Papachristou and the representative of CLIA in Greece Mrs. Maria Deligianni.
The event with a semantic character, as the opening homeport season, was held with the kind cooperation of TUICruises, as part of the welcome of the cruise ship Mein Schiff 5, which chose for the second consecutive year the port of Heraklion as a homeport for the Mediterranean. Mein Schiff 5 will operate round trips from Heraklion to the Aegean and alternatively to the Ionian in 7 days of cruises.
Against the background of the start of the cruise, the Captain of the cruise ship Mr. George Dimou welcomed the official guests and gave the floor to the Minister of Tourism Mr. Kikilias who referred with the most optimistic messages for Tourism describing Crete as his “Flagship” the importance of the Port of Heraklion for its contribution to the development of the Cruise, giving praise to the Management of OLI and especially to the CEO Mr. Minas Papadakis for the effort he makes with his associates and service agents.
The General Secretary of the Aegean and Island Policy Mr. Koutoulakis thanked the people of Tourism and expressed his optimism for a very strong season and attributed the tourist flow to the overall and organized effort of the OLI Administration.
On his part, the CEO of OLI Mr. Minas Papadakis after welcoming the Minister of Tourism and the Secretary General of the Aegean and Island Policy, mentioned that the Port of Heraklion is one of the main cruise ports of our country, both as a port and a as a transit port with this season expected to double both in terms of approaches and in terms of passengers. The Management of OLI considers the Cruise one of the main pillars of development that contributes significant economic and social benefits both locally and nationally.
Special mention was made by the CEO Mr. Minas Papadakis, to the current social problems with emphasis on sustainable development and the green transition that will lead to zero greenhouse gas emissions. In both directions, important initiatives and actions are taken by OLI, mainly the planning and the supply of electricity to the moored ships in the Port of Heraklion. The report on the implementation of the architectural lighting of the Venetian Castle of Koule was also important, where all the necessary approvals have been obtained from the Ministry of Culture, while the financing of the project has been approved by the Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy.
The event was closed by the CEO of TUI Cruises Mr. Wybcke Meier, who mentioned that the Port of Heraklion as a Home Port is the first choice for visitors to the Mediterranean and the most important destination for TUI.
A common finding from the reports of the official speakers is that optimistic messages were formed for this year’s tourist season with the Port of Heraklion as a homeport being in great demand many times from previous years. It is a fact that the immediate and rapid restart of the cruise proves the dynamics of the Port of Heraklion due to its high services, the support it offered during the pandemic to cruise companies and obviously its unique hub. It is certain that the Port of Heraklion is once again emerging as one of the best ports in the Mediterranean and Europe and will further strengthen the position of the Greek tourism industry in Europe.
Source: Capital
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