[ad_1]
Following another successful summer of operations, the contract for the Cyprus-Greece ferry service has been renewed for a further three years, the Cyprus Deputy Ministry of Shipping announced on Friday.
The government also announced on Friday that it would launch a public consultation with stakeholders to develop a national strategy for cruise tourism to capitalise on emerging lucrative alternatives in the tourism industry, including ferries.
“After evaluating the performance indicators based on passenger traffic numbers from 2022 to date, we have decided to extend the Cyprus-Greece Maritime Passenger Transport Agreement for another three years, to 2025, 2026 and 2027,” the ministry said.
“Since its first year, the route has been a huge success and has exceeded all expectations, opening up a new market for travellers who wish to travel between Cyprus and the rest of mainland Europe by private car and two-wheeler.”
The Ministry of Transport said that the route also Serving passengers who cannot fly due to medical reasons, age or fear of flying.
Since the first sailing in June 2022, more than 21,000 passengers have used the ferry service, and more than 7,000 cars and 700 pets have been transported.
“These figures prove the vital importance of maritime passenger connections” it concluded.
This year’s services resumed on May 29, when the Cyprus-flagged Daleela departed the DP World terminal at the Port of Limassol.
The last departure flight this year will be from Limassol Port on September 1st and return on September 3rd.
Bookings for 2024 are up again, higher than in 2023.
This year, the ship is using only the Limassol-Piraeus route, while in 2023 it will alternate between departing and returning from Limassol and Larnaca.
However, in 2024 the company announced that it would only use the port of Limassol, reportedly for financial reasons, as the number of cruise ships using Limassol has dropped dramatically this year and prices have also fallen.
At the same time, increased traffic at the port of Larnaca has created logistical problems.
As for the national strategy to develop the island into a cruise hub, the government said public consultation will run until September 6, closing at 11:59 p.m.
The move was said to be driven by “recognition of the potential and prospects of cruise tourism in boosting the Cypriot economy, creating jobs and promoting culture, as well as Cyprus’ advantages as a cruise destination”.
The public consultation aims to take a “holistic approach” to tackling the issue, with a first phase of analysing and mapping the existing situation, followed by a planned action with a specific timetable for implementation.
The aim is to identify competitive strengths, opportunities, weaknesses, gaps and omissions in order to develop the best framework for managing cruise tourism.
For more information, interested parties can contact the Deputy Minister of Shipping via email (email protected)
[ad_2]
Source link
