Chania recorded an all-time high in cruise tourism in 2025, according to comparative data released by the President of the Chania Port Fund, Dimitris Virirakis, on the occasion of the last cruise ship arrival of the year.
Yesterday, December 30, the Viking Vela docked at Souda carrying 957 passengers, marking the conclusion of a year that, as noted, surpassed every previous record for the destination of Chania, both at the port of Souda and the Venetian harbor.
According to the Port Funds data, in 2025 there were 190 cruise ship arrivals at Souda with a total of 400,047 passengers, while 22 ships carrying 8,899 passengers were served at Chanias Venetian harbor. Meanwhile, in 2024which until recently had been the benchmark yearthere were 131 ship arrivals and 279,754 passengers at Souda, as well as 13 ships with 5,975 passengers at the Venetian harbor.
A comparison of the two years shows an increase of 47.22% in the number of ships and 43.12% in the number of passengers in 2025 compared to 2024, a development that, as highlighted, confirms the steady strengthening of Chanias position on the international cruise map. Of the total 408,946 passengers in 2025, it is worth noting that 167,636 crew members are also included, about one-third of whom, according to statistical data, leave the ships and move around the destination as visitors.
Furthermore, according to the President of the Chania Port Fund, a key priority has been and continues to be maintaining cruise companies preference for Chania by providing high-level services, a factor considered critical for the sustainability of this growth. Advance bookings for 2026 are similarly high, with the season beginning on January 3, 17 ship arrivals by the end of March, and a total of 195 arrivals expected by the end of 2026, while several new ships and companies are anticipated to visit Chania for the first time.
At the same time, as Dimitris Virirakis reports, 2026 is expected to generate over 500,000 for the Municipality of Chania from cruise-related fees alone. In this context, public thanks are expressed to the small staff of the Port Fund, the partners, the Coast Guard, and the Chania-based shipping agents, who, as emphasized, played a decisive role in achieving this years highly positive results.
