Published by http://www.mpa.gr
Reposted on Charterminute.com
The Hellenic Yacht Owners Association on Tuesday warned that the sector was facing extinction, suffering the worst year in its history because of the economic crisis.
Speaking to ANA-MPA, Antonis Steliatos, president of the Association, said reservations for professional yachts with crew were down more than 80 pct this year, compared with 2009, with 11 vessels taken out of commission because of reduced demand.
Reservations for sail ships are also down, with revenues suffering a sharp fall this year, although no specific figures could be provided since there is no single charter policy in the sector.
The Association said that Greek lacked the necessary numbers in marinas, while existing infrastructure was not competitive. "Our country has almost 5,000 islands and islets and a coastline stretching for thousands of kilometres. It is unacceptable that Croatia with 1/10th of the Greek coastline has 108 modern marinas and Turkey has a better network of marinas than Greece," Steliatos said.
According to official figures, Greece has 19 organised marinas and another 12 under construction, with an overall capacity of 6,661 vessels.
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