Following the success of the first forum in 2011, the second Posidonia Sea Tourism Forum was held in Athens, Greece, on 28-29 May 2013, attended by hundreds of delegates from cruise lines, ports, and tourism organisations. More importantly, the cruise part of the forum was attended by two ministers and one deputy minister, signalling how much weight the new Greek government put on cruise tourism. Alan Lam reports.

There is now an unmistakable confidence for recovery and growth in Greece. The willingness on the part of the new Greek government to help promote cruise business is unequivocal. It has demonstrated an unprecedented understanding of cruise and it is willing to listen, speakers and delegates said.

The forum also addressed a wide range of subjects; the most hotly debated ones were port and destination related. Inevitably, the crisis in Greece occupied the minds of the cruise professionals. But the mood was overwhelmingly upbeat for the future.

A Cruise Business Review correspondent attended the forum and a full report and analysis of the event will be published in the next issue of Cruise Business Review.

Cruise Business Review was also a sponsor of the event