MedCruise had the honour to address the second edition of the “European Interparliamentary Conference on Tourism”, advocating the importance of initiatives to advance maritime tourism growth in Europe in general and in the Med and its adjoining seas in particular.
In a keynote speech delivered during the opening session of the Conference, Thanos Pallis, MedCruise Secretary General, emphasised the importance of cruise growth for Mediterranean ports and destinations, as well as the broader contribution to local, frequently peripheral, economies.
Stressing the importance of sustaining the growth of cruise enjoyed during the last two decades, and the intensive work of cruise ports, Thanos Pallis presented the main challenges for MedCruise ports and destinations, and recommended initiatives to unlock further growth potential.
The coordination of ‘destination’ stakeholders to adapt to new tourism trends, the support for further infrastructure development, the cooperation to diversify tourism offers, and the transformation of Asian countries, China in particular, to new source markets, were the themes that highlighted by the secretary general of MedCruise.
The event, hosted by the Hellenic Parliament in Athens, Greece, was attended by MPs from all over Europe and several members of the European Parliament.
Along with MedCruise, parliamentarians were also joined by OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) and UNWTO (World Tourism Organization).
The Conference focused on coastal-maritime tourism’s huge potentials and challenges, also covering alternative-thematic forms of tourism that can contribute to resolving the issue of seasonal tourism, being at the same time high-quality and soft forms for local development. It also contributed to a better understanding and cooperation between the European National Parliaments attending the event.
MedCruise, which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary, reconfirmed that it will continue to work in advancing sustainable growth for tourism in the Mediterranean and its adjoining seas.
