Over 650 delegates and 32 exhibitors from 25 countries attended this year’s Forum which was held over a two-day period at the Athens Megaron last month and organisers believe that this is just the beginning, for 2015 the bar has been set even higher.
All participants from both cruise and yachting sectors agreed that Greece has significant competitive advantages with regard to sea tourism, but needs to do more to overcome certain ill conceived policies and regulatory anachronisms that impede development. According to senior speakers at the Posidonia Forum, Greece has the potential of greatly increasing its current share of a European sea tourism pie that amounts to a combined output of over 40 billion euro annually.
Although Greece’s recent efforts to improve transparency and simplify bureaucratic procedures are commendable, effective change can only happen through longer-term strategies and better coordination.
The event was lauded by delegates and exhibitors as a resounding success. Significant partnerships were forged during the two days as delegates and exhibitors engaged industry executives and participated at a series of workshops and targeted meetings with the goal of finding mutual synergies.
