Almost double the number of passengers this year compared to 2022, over 11 thousand reservations
By Maria Herakleous
On the right, the Larnaca – Piraeus line starts in ten days (July 29) after the demand hit red and the Daleela ship is already fully booked. In fact, as the Deputy Minister of Shipping Marina Hatzimanoli mentioned in the News Dissemination show on SPOR FM, from the 1st day, great interest was expressed and bookings have far exceeded 11 thousand and are significantly strengthened compared to last year. The response from people is huge this year, especially for the services from Larnaca, although this seems to be more related to the time period of the services – July and August – as it is considered a more popular period for vacations, compared to the months of May and June. “This means that it is a necessary measure and we would like there to be a continuation at the end of the contract” comments the deputy minister. It is recalled that last year a total of 7,412 passengers traveled and 205 pets and 1,946 vehicles/motorcycles were transported.
Better in summer
The high demand during the months of July and August has already got the deputy ministry thinking about whether there should be a change in the start dates of the routes so that they start in the midst of peak tourism and take advantage of the summer holiday frenzy. So possibly, next year, we will see more trips in July and August and less at the beginning of the season.
What is changing
In total, there will be eight departures from Larnaca and the corresponding returns from the port of Piraeus. Last departure from Larnaca on August 31st and last departure from Piraeus on September 1st. Besides the demand which is increased, what changes in relation to the trip from Limassol, is the duration of the trip. Specifically, from Larnaca it is 30 hours, while from Limassol it is 32. Apart from the duration of the journey, what changes in the case of Larnaca routes is the cost of the tickets. Specifically, for a one-way trip from Larnaca to the port of Piraeus, the cost amounts to 69.3 euros per person for a 1st class cabin, while a return trip amounts to 138.6 euros. The equivalent for Limassol was 72.99 for a one-way ticket in a 1st class cabin and 145.98 round trip. The ticket cost for an air seat on the ship is 68.6 euros round trip and 34.3 euros one way. Accordingly, for the port of Limassol the cost for this specific type of seat is 37.99 euros for a one-way trip and 75.98 for a return trip. The difference in price lies in the lower taxes that exist in the port of Larnaca compared to the port of Limassol. As for children 4-12 years old, the cost for return tickets starts from 49.3 euros for an airplane seat (round trip) and reaches 84.3 euros for a seat in a class A cabin. The ticket price for children under 4 years old is 15 euros and 30 euros for single and double journey for all seat categories. For vehicle transport the cost is 106.49 euros for one way and 212.98 round trip. The price for transporting a motorcycle is 70.47 euros for a one-way trip and 140.94 for a round trip, half and 1 euro respectively the charge for transporting a bicycle. Transporting a pet in the cabin costs 50 euros for a one-way trip, 100 euros for a round trip and 35 and 70 euros for a simple transport of the pet.
By car
< p>The trip by sea seems to be chosen quite a lot by families, but also motorcyclists – mainly from Cyprus but also Greece. Both cases carry their vehicle with them – car or motorcycle. In any case, this is the competitive advantage that choosing the ship offers over air travel, which is much shorter. As described by Antonis Orthodoxou, of Orthodoxou Travel, a company that is a partner of Scandro Holding Ltd, while in Greece the company bbtair, a family of four that will travel, usually takes their car as well in order to save money on renting a car in Hellas. In these cases, their stay in Greece is longer. It states that at the moment, there are sporadic seats left for all routes. “Whoever searches now, will not find a seat, or will not be 100% satisfied, maybe not satisfied either in a date or in an airplane seat.” Of course, many people also choose the ship to transport their pet, especially if it is of a large size, due to the restrictions on the plane.
Better services
The increased demand for tickets is also linked to the improved facilities on board. This year there was time to make the necessary preparations. Last year it was decided, Mr. Soulis recalled, that it was decided to start the project and everything had to be ready in 30 days, this year we had the whole year and so there was better organization both from the state and from the ship's management company, as well as from the reservation system. Mr. Soulis mentioned that the ship was also renovated in terms of equipment, furniture, the casino area which was upgraded, and in the cafeteria/restaurant there are more options and definitely the service is much better. “And we hope that next year we will be even better for the benefit of the world,” he said. In the thoughts of the company there are scenarios to add more stations so that in addition to Piraeus, Rhodes and Israel are also added. As the deputy minister pointed out, if these routes are added while the existing contract is running, they will not be subsidized. From the side of the company, the manager and press representative of the Scandro Holdings company, Ilias Soulis, told “K” that there are thoughts, but there is nothing to announce at the moment. He also pointed out that every year the ship will be upgraded. However, the company plans to purchase another ship (Daleela is chartered). “We are working on that part, and we may have an announcement soon, with the new year.”
Fewer complaints
During last season, the first for the routes Cyprus – Piraeus, 15 complaints-negative comments, two suggestions and 21 requests for information material were officially recorded. This year, the negative comments and complaints are much less, which is also linked to the better services offered – as reported by the involved bodies – both in the reservation system and in the boarding process as well as the ship's facilities.
