Rhodes welcomed its first cruise ship of the year on January 1, with MSC's MSC Lirica, built 2002, bringing 1,787 tourists to the popular Aegean Island. The passengers were welcomed with a brief ceremony onboard the cruise ship for the exchange of gifts. 

Local information said the passengers include Italian, French, Spanish, American, and British nationals. Most of them enjoyed excursions on the island, while others toured the medieval and the modern town of Rhodes proper. 

Underlining that cruising is now year-round, the 2022 cruise season ended in just before the end of the year in Thessaloniki with the arrival of Viking Lines’ vessel Viking Venus. The 2022 cruise season had started for Thessaloniki, on February 5, earlier than ever before and concludes with the 61st arrival, representing an increase of approximately 260% compared to 2021. 

The executive chairman of the BoD and md of the Thessaloniki Port Authority (ThPA), Thanos Liagkos, accompanied by executives of the company visited the cruise ship during the last week of 2022, giving thanks to the representatives of Viking Line for their trust and cooperation and exchanged greetings with the captain, crew and passengers of the vessel. 

Representatives of the Thessaloniki Tourism Organisation welcomed the passengers of the cruise ship, as in every arrival, offering them useful material and information about the destination.

  The north Aegean destination is experiencing spectacular growth in the cruise sector with over 70 arrivals scheduled for 2023 as leading companies in the cruise industry have included Thessaloniki in their itineraries.  The Viking Venus, with 680 passengers, was in Souda, Crete on New Year’s making the cruise arrivals for 2023 a success. Despite the rainy weather most of the passengers visited the city of Chania and places inland. 

Dimitris Virirakis, the president of the Port Fund of the Prefecture of Chania, stated in a social media post, “in 2023, the cruise industry in Chania is expected to grow with an increase in the number of ships and passengers”.

– Filed: 2023-01-06