Cruise lines ask Greece to delay passenger tax hike until 2026

On Wednesday, the board of the Union of Shipowners and Cruise Ships held a meeting with the Minister of Maritime Affairs and Island Policy, Christos Stylianides. The main issues on the agenda were the recent introduction of increased passenger taxes and the crisis in the Middle East.

The Greek Ministry of Tourism announced in September increased fees for cruise passengers, landing on Mykonos, Santorini and other Greek islands. The Union expressed its dissatisfaction with the fact that in order to make such a decision it is necessary to consult with users – both about the size of the introduced fee and about the timing of its introduction, which cannot be direct.

In a recent article, the daily naftemporiki.gr reported that shipowners and cruisers wanted the levy introduced from 2026, otherwise they warned of “unintended consequences of increased costs.” In a letter obtained by the publication, the cruise lines said that “CLIA's view of introducing a new cruise passenger fee starting in 2026 is reasonable because 2025 cruises have already been sold in advance and the companies cannot pass on the costs to passengers, which means they will bear them themselves.”

They also expressed fears that “if the war in the Middle East ends, companies will choose other destinations instead of Greece – to Egypt, Israel, Lebanon and the southern ports of Turkey, where passenger taxes are zero.”

At the meeting on Wednesday, the union noted that the issue of regulating the movement of cruise ships should be immediately implemented by local authorities managing ports (port organizations, port funds). In addition, the union demanded that port infrastructure be upgraded where necessary to ensure the safe handling of cruise ships.

Finally, the topic of control procedures for cruise ships in ports was also discussed, for example those that will soon be introduced for passengers in the non-Schengen zone – the well-known entry/exit system, reports naftemporiki on Wednesday.

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