“The cruise is the kind of vacation with the highest growth rate” points out Mr. Kyriakos Anastasiadis, CEO of Celestyal Cruises and President of CLIA Europe. He notes that through CLIA Europe, “we will have to work to show off the Eastern Mediterranean as the first cruise destination worldwide”.   

He speaks about the role of Celestyal Cruises, the only company that makes “home porting” in Greece and aims to show off our country as the best cruise destination. He also highlights that, despite the crisis of previous years, Celestyal not only has kept its passengers, but also has attracted young people from countries, not yet included in its own cruises.   

For his part, capt. George Koumpenas, Vice- President of Enterprise Celestyal Cruises, speaks about the company’s contribution to our national economy, which is a total of 110 million euros per year and begins with the repair of its vessels in the Perama and Neorion shipyards, while he emphasizes that the closure of shipyards in Greece forces the company to send ships for docking abroad.       

He refers to the natural gas as a marine fuel, whose use will be intensified with the new strict environmental regulations, while he stresses that Piraeus has the edge thanks to the Revithoussa LNG Terminal. “All that is missing is the appropriate legislative framework” he says.       

Interviews: Nikos Bardounias

Camera: Studio Panos Halkidis