Greece's main cruise hub and the entry port for Athens, Piraeus, is set for a €220 million expansion.
The planned expansion of the country's largest port will enable the largest cruise ships in the Med to vist Athens, increading tourism to the area. Yiorgos Anomeritis, CEO for the the state-owned Piraeus Port Authority, said that the goal is to make Piraues "the largest cruise port in the Mediterranean, bringing traffic and new jobs throughout the year."
The statement released by the Piraeus Port Authority detailed that the Athens port would receive €187 million from the European Union's regional development aid program and additional €33 million in funds from Greece.
With tourism taking in dip in Greece over the past year, the move to further embrace the cruise industry can only benefit passengers and locals. With new cruise terminals being developed in the Caribbean, it is a pleasant relief to see similar investment taking place in European waters.
Summer 2012 will see more super-liners cruising the Med than ever before, and with ships such as Carnival Breeze and MSC Divinia set to debut in the region, this is a positive move for Greece's largest port. The extension to the cruise terminal is set to begin in 2013.
Written by Charlie Hamilton Beaufort
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