As a destination, Athens needs visibility and diversification to make the most of the multiple and wonderful opportunities it can offer its visitors, including those arriving in Piraeus by cruise ship.
In this context the Greek capital’s Development & Destination Management Agency is participating in this Tuesday’s Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum 2021 to raise awareness about its destination strategy and the competitive advantages of the city. The agency aims to to take advantage of the forum’s digitalized networking opportunities to promote Athens as a key international cruise destination and highlight the existing challenges.
Chief Executive Officer Evangelos Vlachos said Athens needs to diversify its product to help disperse the high concentration of cruise visitors from the areas around the main attractions to more points of interest:
“The cruise industry is an important source of revenue for the local economy in Athens. During the course of the pandemic, we have experienced a significant decrease in visitor numbers to the city, impacting all sectors of tourism and the general economy. The 2021 Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum is an excellent opportunity to talk about the challenges and opportunities as we increase the frequency of cruise arrivals to Athens.”
The Athens Development & Destination Management Agency’s efforts focus on tourism product diversification, especially the creation of new sustainable and accessible tourism products. The aim is to share knowledge about the city and promote urban experiences through “This is Athens,” the official multimedia visitors guide to the Greek capital that is available to cruise visitors online at thisisathens.org.
Visitors can discover places of interest, learn about what’s new and exciting, and make effective use of their time in port. Development of these resources has continued during the Covid-19 pandemic, including the creation of two new podcast series, new articles and photographic material, and itinerary suggestions for shopping, eating and even jogging in the city center.
The Posidonia forum will open at 10 am on Tuesday with a statement by Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy Minister Ioannis Plakiotakis, followed by a keynote speech by the global chairman of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), Pierfrancesco Vago, who is also the executive chairman of MSC Cruises.
This article was first published on ekathimerini.com.
