Greek ferries: Migrant traffic offset domestic passengers slump in 2015

The extra business generated by transporting refugees and migrants from the islands of the Aegean to the mainland helped offset a 7 pct slump in regular domestic passenger traffic during 2015, the head of the Greek Passenger Shipping Companies Association (SEEN) Michalis Sakelis announced  on Thursday.

He streassed that signs of reduced passenger traffic in ferries were also apparent in 2016 as a result of falling domestic demand, but also a fall of passengers in air transport. He noted that the economic crisis had led to accumulated losses of 1.2 billion euros for coastal shipping firms in 2009-2014, leading nine Greek shipping lines to iether declare bankruptcy or cease operations.

The Adriatic lines had seen a 12 pct slump in passenger traffic and a small rise in cargo traffic in 2015, he said.

Passenger movements

Sakelis also predicted that tourist traffic to the eastern Aegean islands will be significantly affected by the refugee crisis this summer, despite the increase in passenger movements overall. The island of Lesvos was currently the most affected, he said, noting that there was zero religious tourism to the island this year.

He said ferry companies were investing chiefly in foreign tourists due to the lower purchasing power of domestic consumers. He said that roughly half of the cruise ships scheduled to call at Mytilene, the island's main port, had cancelled in 2015, while 33 out 44 cruise ships scheduled to call in 2016 had cancelled.

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