Sea Tourism / Cruising may facing challenges in case of economical crisis worldwide with recent decisions by USA if applied

Worldwide cruising has reached a great number of guests with 2024 reporting more than 35 mill pax and expectation for 2025 to become 36,2 or more if all goes well and industry has no surprises in world economies. 

It is important to notice how quick industry recovered from the COVID period very fast and even or further increase for 2025 is forecastle than original expecting. 

Please see the Table 1 cruise segment from 2017 to 2025 in revenues as well as users.

Covid 2019 was affect industry with more than 90% of the vessels to be laid up or idle in cruising and 2021 to become a restart cruising period and all Companies to suffer a lot a financial commitment. 

The Greek cruise tourism seems to have a great future due to Polynesian geographical location in East Med and is the ideal destination for cruising experience having 16km coastal line. 

Historical places, monuments and beautiful seas in such great clear blue sea archipelagos giving additional value in our sea tourism sector. 

Greece was also the quickest recovered industry after COVID resulting over estimated number of guests till 2025.

Total number of guests for 2024 was reached to about 7 mill in all port visits with a great percentage of homeporting guests mainly in Piraeus main port, and 5490 calls in all destinations and with various sizes of vessels. 

Please see in Table 2 the estimated cruising traffic in Greece from 2015 till 2025 expectations.

The numbers in Greece in almost all destinations are increasing considerably. 

In order to keep a control of calls and maintain a logical and comfort number of guests in each destination and particularly in more famous destinations (Santorini / Mykonos) and always depending on guests they can serve satisfactory to enjoy their visits. 

On this respect we need to improve several infrastructures in harbors as well as roads and other services. 

Most importantly, we must apply a Global berth allocation system in all destinations as well as to consider for each call the allowance capacity to be served satisfactorily and comfortably for the guests and also not to affect the local population in each call. 

Ideally Greece is a place which can further extend the touristic period duration and possible to reach to a full year operation. 

Also homeporting to be expanded in other main destinations having the important facilities and all depend on area cruise lines make planning (North Aegean, Dodecanese, Cyclades, Ionion and many more).

I am not sure that the extra fees per pax applied from this year will affect negatively the numbers of all destinations since same are applied in almost all main tourism destinations but the important point is all these money to be used for local destinations tourism improvements with priority on security, safety and conform of guests. 

The International Sea Tourism forum for 2025 by Posidonia Organization is planned to take place in Crete within May 6-7. 

I am sure they will discuss all these points mentioned above by the locals and international participants for cruising and expect positive results in the right direction. 

It is important to monitor the World Cruising since it will be affect positively our destination since Greece is considered on of the main priorities. 

The further increase of guests from 2025 till 2028 expecting about 10% increase at least. 

In addition, Cruising offering a great number of employees considering that 2022 we had 1.2 million employees with a total payment of about USD45 billion.

We expect to increase by 2025, additional 380.000 employees coming from various countries about 150 in total with women employees to increased considerably.  

Reference the new buildings orderbook at this stage are 68 vessels.

It needs to be noticed that the most NB are on small and medium sizes with even big operators to have prepared a luxury small size cruisers branding with new technologies to be applied on these new cruisers applied on environmental new rules. 

Total amount for orders 57,4 billion USD. 

The analysis of the existing and ordered vessels is now 35% small size vessels with less than 1000 pax. 

Also 38% refer to medium size from 1000 to 3000 pax and 26% refer to big size over 3000 pax (big size are continuously  reduced and medium / small size are increased). 

Although the various war zones close to our area have reduced and may give a positive impact in cruising, we have now recently created a new industry in keeping an eye on possible negative reactions in economics affecting the world financial after the president Trump’s decisions on extra taxes worldwide with possible creation of world economical crisis and why not to be affect cruising the following years if such rules are eventually applied. 
Hope not to affect extensively with only limited extra cost to be added.

The tariffs will not only affect companies, but several guests may not be able to make extend tourism vacation including cruises. 

President Trump’s tariffs revolution can yet to hit the cruise industry directly but the spin – off on 2025. Let’s see, these were discussed in detail on the recent Seatrade forum in Miami and expect the final decisions and conclusions. 

Sea tourism and especially cruising and yachting have a great future including in Greece which is one of the best and more interesting destination with considerable increase yearly.

Final following are the world cruising customers in nationalities.

Finally the order book international of cruisers is as follows (all in European shipyards in various sizes).

By Theodore Kontes
Operations Director, Majestic International Cruises