Piraeus, Greece's largest port and one of the biggest in the Mediterranean, is looking to a promising cruise tourism season, Piraeus Port Authority S.A. (PPA) Deputy CEO Captain Weng Lin told an industry conference in Athens on Tuesday, citing "very positive" trend in berth bookings, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
Addressing the biennial Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum, held online this year, Weng said that as of Tuesday, over 400 cruise arrivals have been planned for this year.
"The trend in berth bookings from what we have in hand for this year is very positive, even compared with (the record year) 2019," Weng said.
Weng noted that PPA has been upgrading the port's facilities at the passenger terminals, in a bid to meet all cruise passenger needs, especially for emergency issues.
"We never stopped our investment and preparation to resume the cruising activity. For the time being, we have seven to eight berths available, while the health protocols are being updated," he said.
"We are continuing our investment for the port of Piraeus, with major infrastructure projects. ... We can meet the requirements of the major players for the new generation of the cruise industry," he added.
China's COSCO Shipping acquired the majority of PPA shares in 2016 after an international tender.