The Minister of Shipping Christos Stylianidis inaugurated the new “Megas Alexandros” passenger station
He expressed his belief that the goal of an increase of up to 50% in the number of tourists visiting Thessaloniki due to a cruise to 600,000, “if not from this year, then certainly in the following years” and compared to the 400,000 who visited it in 2022, is completely achievable. The Minister of Shipping and Island Policy, Christos Stylianidis, today inaugurating the new passenger cruise terminal at the port of the city, named “Alexander the Great”.
“With the operation of the new passenger station, the port of Thessaloniki is the protagonist, since it is the only one – so far – in Greece that meets the conditions of the new European directive and operates with the new Schengen requirements of the entry-exit system, in accordance with the Community directive 2017/2226/EU”, Mr. Stylianidis pointed out and added that two large cruise ships carrying a total of 6,000 people, in addition to their crews, will now be able to dock at the city’s port at the same time.
Describing the port of Thessaloniki as the “pearl” of the city, Mr. Stylianidis noted that with the investments that were made and are being made, “it is now moving on the same dynamic trajectory as the leading Greek shipping. We are living in a historic period for Thessaloniki and its port and I believe that it is no coincidence that it is considered the main city for the Balkans and for the wider region of SE Europe”, he emphasized.
Speaking about the cruise, Mr. Stylianidis emphasized that its development is a permanent national and developmental goal for the Greek government and added that the benefits that tourism “sees” due to its rise are already visible. Referring to Greece’s shipping sector, Mr. Stylianides noted that it supports the country’s sustainability and development by contributing to over 7% of GDP and saying that the Greek fleet amounts to 5,500 ships, he noted that Greek shipowners represent 70% of the total EU fleet. “Greek shipping is so important for Europe, as 80% of its foreign trade is carried out by sea and it is a critical factor for the continent’s competitiveness in the global economy,” he noted.
Among other things, the Minister of Shipping and Island Policy noted that today more than ever Thessaloniki offers its tourists “unique and unforgettable experiences”, a fact that he said he had heard from foreigners in London, Berlin and Brussels and referred to the multitude of historical monuments and in gastronomy.
The new “Alexander the Great” terminal
The new cruise terminal became fully operational in July 2023, has a total area of 2000 m2 and has two additional berths. It is fully equipped, capable of serving homeporting and transit arrivals and two ships simultaneously at berths 9 and 10. Some more useful facts about the new cruise terminal are that the area of berths 9 and 10 is 32,300 m2 and the surrounding area is 14,000 m2. In the meantime, OLTH S.A. and Fraport Greece, have proceeded to cooperate so that the luggage of cruise ship passengers arriving at the airport on charter flights can be forwarded directly to their cabins, since they have planned a cruise starting in Thessaloniki and with the aim of carefree enjoyment of the destination.
The aforementioned was reported by the executive chairman of the board of directors at the company Organization of the Ports of Thessaloniki (OLTH) SA, Athanasios Liagos, head of the Hellenic Ports Association (ELIME) and president of the “Exandas” Port Training Institute. “We have focused on the development of the cruise, through partnerships and hard work”, he emphasized. He also made a special reference to the re-announcement of the tender for the 6th Jetty, pointing out that it has been done at a time parallel to the master plan and the gap is being exploited so that the project ensures the interests of the shareholders and the Greek public.
The Deputy Minister of the Interior (Macedonia – Thrace Sector), Stathis Konstantinidis, characterized the cruise as a huge tourist resource for the place and emphasizing that the port makes use of its strategic position, produces added value and “generates” new jobs, he noted that “Thessaloniki can rightly to be proud that it exceeds international standards”. “Today, another step is being taken to make Thessaloniki a hub of the cruise destination”, said the governor of Central Macedonia, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, in his brief greeting and noted that the Region is steadily investing in cooperation with the port, airport and tourism agencies , to extend the tourist season.
The mayor of Thessaloniki, Konstantinos Zervas, expressed his position that the course of tourism in Thessaloniki is stable and growing, stressing that this is the result of systematic work by many involved who cooperated. “It is a success story and we must invest in it,” he said characteristically.
With Gandhi’s phrase “first they ignore you, then they mock you, then they fight you and then you win” described the success of the port, the deputy governor of Thessaloniki and president of the Thessaloniki Tourism Organization, Voula Patoulidou. The port of Thessaloniki is a tourist lung for all the countries of the Balkans, the representative of the prime minister’s office in Thessaloniki, Yiannis Papageorgiou, said, among other things, in his greeting. The opening ceremony was officiated by the Metropolitan of Neapolis-Stavroupolis Varnavas.
