Significant increase in cruises in Igoumenitsa – what is the reason (video)

Until recently, the cruise port of Igoumenitsa was rarely seen on cruise routes. In 2018, it was visited by only 14 aircraft and 12,560 passengers. But this year there has been an impressive increase in the number of cruises – it has reached 28.

Cruise ships moor at the pier within walking distance from the city center. According to the mayor of Igoumenitsa and president of the board of directors of the Regional Union of Municipalities of Epirus, Panagiotis Dais, until 2023 and for many years before that, the number of cruise ships arriving at the port was single digit and in the best years did not exceed 7-8 ships. But this year that number has more than tripled to 28. He says:

“Cruise ship passengers currently mainly follow the route that takes them to Meteora, and this is the main destination for ships to ‘dock’ at Igoumenitsa. They can also make a stop in Ioannina or Metsovo. However, since this is a complex excursion in terms of route and visiting monasteries, many passengers, hundreds in fact, do not choose it and try to spend time in the city of Igoumenitsa and the wider area. Wanting not to change the program of tour operators, but simply to strengthen it, we tried to encourage these passengers to get off the ships and get to know the city and all of Epirus. That's what we started this year.”

According to the mayor, a short route has been created and proposed in the city of Igoumenitsa, which includes a Venetian castle, Roman villas, an archaeological museum and the natural area of ​​the Kalamas Delta. This route takes about 2-3 hours, after which visitors can spend time in the shops or restaurants of the city. But that's not all, says the mayor:

“We have another proposal, a tourist route that concerns the ancient theaters of Epirus and starts from the ancient theater of Gitanon, 20 km from Igoumenitsa. Then Dodoni, we go down to Arta, where the ancient theater of Ambrakia is located. It is one of the few theaters in Greece that is located in an urban and residential area, in the city center, and borders two important theaters in Preveza: one in Kaskop, an area with stunning views of the Ionian Sea, and the other in Nikopols, the famous city built by the Roman Emperor Octavian to defeat Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the great naval battle of Actium.”

Mr Dyce added: “This is an alternative offer to the Meteora excursion. It's easy and all these places can be reached by bus, with operating hours extended from April.” Gastronomy also plays a significant role in the cultural character of this offer, aiming to promote local products and economic development. The goal is to combine the cultural route of the ancient theaters of Epirus with local realities.

“We launched this process so that manufacturers have the opportunity to sell their products outside specific territories, and the cluster has already been created, has a legal form, and we are trying to put this into practice. Catering companies are also involved in this, and we want to connect them with travel agents. At the same time, the enterprises participating in the cluster will have specific specifications that will improve the level of their services, for example, accessibility, presentation of a bilingual website, use of local products. They are determined by a memorandum of cooperation, which is signed by those wishing to participate in the cluster,” emphasizes the mayor of Igoumenitsa.

The municipality of Igoumenitsa includes popular summer destinations with high standards and occupancy rates, as well as the presence of 5-star and 4-star hotels. In summer, tourists mainly choose Sivota, Plataria and Perdika. Igoumenitsa as a city has associated tourism. Mr. Dice notes:

“Our goal is for Sivota to remain in the second zone and all new that will be built to remain low-scale, in the same way we want Plataria and Perdika to remain in developing areas, because we believe that the resulting carrying capacity of the regions that's how it is.”

In this context, tourism in the region could be strengthened in the remaining months, with a focus on inland areas as well as natural and cultural tourism. This area is chosen by tourists from Italy and Central Europe, such as Germans, Austrians and Czechs, as well as residents of the Balkans. Tourists traveling on charter flights from Aktion Airport are mainly Scandinavian.

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