The fifth instalment of Greece’s biggest cruise and yacht tourism exhibition and conference, Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum, opens on May 28 at a new venue and with fresh momentum, in view of the anticipated increase in visits by cruise ships this year.

“Turkey’s comeback on cruise tours’ itineraries this year has benefited Greece, so we are expecting a 7.5 percent rise in port calls,” said Theodore Vokos, the managing director of Posidonia Exhibitions, which also organizes the biannual landmark shipping exhibition Posidonia.

Speaking at a press conference in the port city of Piraeus, Vokos noted the return of Disney cruises as of next year, saying that it “is known as the company that is first to leave and last to return.”

He added that Greece’s “growing status as a world-class cruise destination” is among the topics that will be discussed by some 50 experts from the international cruise and yachting sectors at the two-day Sea Tourism Forum, taking place at the Domotel Kastri Hotel in northern Athens.

Theodore Kontes, the head of the Union of Greek Cruise Shipowners, commented that his group eyes full-year operation, but “we need a competitive state strategy on charges and infrastructures.”

This article was originally published by ekathimerini.com.