Tourist boats anchored due to unaffordable fuel prices

Steady rise in fuel prices strongly discourages those who like to relax on tourist yachts.

Companies that are actively engaged in renting tourist yachts rely on last-minute tours, since this summer the constant rise in fuel prices in many ways interferes with those who have thought about this option for their vacation.

“May was already a lost month. If you visit the harbor of Alimos, from where 45% of the routes to the Cyclades originate, at the moment you can see that it is full of moored boats. Usually at this time the water area is empty, but now we are seeing a completely different picture. You can see boats of all kinds at the pier,” explains CNN Greece President Συνδέσμου Ιδιοκτητών Τουριστικών Επαγγελματικών Σκαφών Άνευ Πληρώματοοοtis.

However, 2022 started off with the best prospects for the industry, with about 90% of tourists forecast to arrive this summer (from 2019, the last “normal” year before the pandemic).

Alas, with the onset of Russian aggression in Ukraine and its consequences, both in terms of fuel prices and the disruption of the supply chain, the generally positive climate has changed dramatically. “We are currently working with orders and contracts that were awarded before the start of the war,” Mr. Looutriotis told CNN in Greece.

According to him, if the family spent a week on vacation on a sailboat or a small motorboat for 500 euros for fuel, now they will have to spend about 900 euros. Accordingly, the expenses required for a tour, accommodation on a yacht, have almost doubled, as the prices of food and other essentials have also increased.

Loss of visitors from Ukraine and Russia

In addition to price increases, Mr. Lutriotis points to another problem that has arisen because of the war. This is a “natural decline” of visitors from Ukraine and Russia, as well as from neighboring countries, which are still made up a significant part of the clientele. So this year, due to geopolitical events, yacht tourism in Greece will suffer significant losses.

But, as Mr. Lutriotis says, the Russians and Ukrainians “supported” the domestic yacht tourism industry even during the difficult period of the pandemic. It is worth noting that in the first year of the pandemic, according to the data, in 2019 the industry accounted for 25% of traffic, and then in 2021 this percentage rose to 55% compared to 2019.

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