Cruise tourism to stage notable recovery in East Mediterranean

The cruise industry in the Eastern Mediterranean is bracing for a major rebound this year, trying to catch up with the rest of the world, which is all set to experience its best year ever, according to projections presented on the opening day of the 5th Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum in Athens on Tuesday.

Global cruise tourism is expected to grow to an unprecedented 30 million passengers this year, up 6 percent on last year's estimated 28.2 million, said Tom Boardley, the secretary-general of the European branch of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA Europe). He added that the momentum in the industry is expected to take it to 40 million passengers by the late 2020s.

Greece and the East Med in general have seen a slump over the last few years due to political concerns in the broader region. Since those concerns appear to have eased this year, Greece expects year...