Chania cruise ports report 214,895 passengers through August, port fund says

Chania’s two cruise ports, Souda and the Venetian Harbour, recorded a combined 118 ship calls and 214,895 passengers between January 1 and August 31, 2026, according to Dimitris Virirakis, president of the Chania Municipal Port Fund.

Of that total, Souda handled 112 cruise ship arrivals carrying 213,495 passengers, while the Venetian Harbour received 6 arrivals with 1,400 passengers, Virirakis said.

He noted that the season began with negative expectations because of the war in Iran, but cruise traffic continued smoothly and at very high levels overall, even though volumes came in below 2025.

In the same eight-month period of 2025, Souda recorded 117 ships and 259,945 passengers, while the Venetian Harbour saw 16 ships and 5,971 passengers, according to the port fund’s figures. That represents a year-on-year decline of 11.3% in the number of ships and 17.8% in passengers, which Virirakis attributed to lower occupancy on this year’s calls.

Virirakis estimated that by the end of 2026 the annual decline would settle at around 10%, with total passenger numbers for the year expected to reach approximately 360,000.

Comparison to airport arrivals

Virirakis said the passenger figures, which exclude ship crews, are equivalent to about 1,000 visitors arriving daily throughout the year, or roughly five full airplane flights a day. He argued that cruise passenger numbers, which generate several billion euros in revenue for the Greek state, should eventually be counted formally in tourism statistics for Crete and Greece, since such figures currently usually reflect only airport arrivals.

Outlook for 2027

According to the port fund, advance bookings for 2027 point to a strong year for cruise tourism in Chania. The figures follow other recent cruise ship arrivals at Souda port this season, and add to the broader picture of cruise activity across Chania’s ports reported earlier this year.