The Region of Thessaly, the Hellenic Tourism Organization, the Municipality of Skiathos, the Municipality of Volos and the Chamber of Magnesia will collaborate to organize a familiarization trip for senior executives of selected cruise companies, in Skopelos and Magnesia from September 14 to 19.
The initial budget estimate is 24,500 euros and the Region of Thessaly is expected to contribute up to 13,140 euros.
The familiarization trip includes a four-day intensive high-level presentation of the cruise destination of Volos and the Sporades with the aim of getting to know and understand the real potential of the ports and the destination in general in order to be included in the upcoming cruise programs. This is the first organized effort to target the extroversion of the cruise product of Volos and the Sporades to the specific audience of the cruise sector.
Based on their expertise and experience, these executives are responsible for preparing cruise programs, cruise ship itineraries, planning excursions for passengers, and their work requires visiting each destination so that they can explore, according to the criteria of each cruise company, the possibilities of beneficial cooperation.
The companies and executives have been selected based on specific criteria (product characteristics, experience in the region, planning of future approaches, etc.), with the result that the eight participants represent over 15 international cruise brands.
These are mainly luxury and ultra-luxury companies, with fleets that include large, medium and small newly built cruise ships of high technological and environmental standards. According to the Region, the expected positive impacts for Volos and the Sporades are particularly significant and are expected to be reflected as early as the next season (2026), with clearly greater momentum in the years 2027 and 2028.
This action constitutes a comprehensive and internationally tested practice of professional promotion of cruise destinations with the aim of rekindling interest in the port of Volos and the Sporades islands, presenting the latest data that certify the full restoration of infrastructure, the promotion of new experiences and destinations for cruise passengers, beyond the established ones, following the modern trends of alternative tourism (gastronomy, wine tourism, religious tourism, outdoor activities, mountaineering, climbing, mountain biking, etc.), which are offered in Thessaly, framed by the well-known hospitality of its inhabitants.
