Greek islands see drop in cruise ship arrivals amid Turkey concerns

Instability in Turkey has caused a drop in cruise ship arrivals in Greece's Aegean islands, according to latest data seen by Kathimerini.

Passenger traffic at the port of Iraklio in Crete saw a 39.4 percent decline in passenger traffic with numbers droping to 82,357 in the first six months of 2017 compared to 135,967 in the same period in 2016.

Meanwhile, 98,127 cruise ship passengers visited the southeastern Aegean island of Rhodes in the first six months of 2017, a 10.9 percent drop compared to the corresponding period last year.

Sector representatives estimate that cruise ship traffic at the island of Santorini, one of Greece's most popular tourist destinations, will be 24 percent lower this August compared to the same month last year.

Analysts say that cruise operators have greatly reduced their routes to Turkey as a result of security concerns. This has...