January 27, 2025 • 10 mins
Seatrade Cruise Talks In Conversation with MedCruise, featuring Theodora Riga, president of MedCruise and director of strategic communications at the Port of Thessaloniki. Appointed as head of the association in September, Riga shares her vision for the future of MedCruise, highlighting key initiatives and priorities for the Mediterranean region. She also reflects on her personal journey into the cruise industry, offering valuable insights into her career path and what drives her passion for this dynamic sector.
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Episode Transcript
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>> Holly Payne (00:01):
Hello, I'm Holly Payne and welcome to another
Seatrade Cruise podcast.
Joining me today is Theodora
Riga, Director of Strategic
Communications at the port of Thessaloniki, who
was appointed president of MedCruise in
September.
Welcome, Theodora.
>> Theodora Riga (00:22):
Thank you very much, Holly. Thank you and the entire
Seatrade team for reaching out for the first of what I
hope will be many podcasts amongst the trade
and MedCruise members.
>> Holly Payne (00:33):
Firstly, what motivated you to
run for President of MedCruise?
>> Theodora Riga (00:38):
Well, in my opinion,
leading, is serving. ever
since I can remember, I always love to
serve. I have served as a member of the board of
directors of MedCruise family representing
different Mediterranean cruise ports. In the last
three years I have represented the port of
Thessaloniki, a rising port. During this
(01:00):
period there has been a significant transformation
from port with less than 10 annual
calls before the pandemic to a port with
more than 80 calls. Therefore, I
know through experience the needs of smaller in
terms of traffic port members of the Metcruz
family. Before that I served
(01:20):
on the board of directors representing one of
the major ports in the Mediterranean and its adjoining
seas, the port of Piraeus. Therefore,
the needs of larger ports hosting over a million
passengers a year are also very
familiar. devoted and have the
professional experience to represent and serve the
interests of all MedCruise members
(01:43):
and promote our shared interests regardless of
size, region or country. And
really wanted to make this exceptional port
families positive impact more consequential
for each and all of our
159 port members and
59 associate members and honour our
association.
>> Holly Payne (02:03):
So what is your vision then Theodora, for
the future of the association?
>> Theodora Riga (02:08):
MedCruise will be 30 in
2026. Since its foundation in
1996, MedCruise association
has grown to be the largest port association
in the world with significant
achievements. All forecasts
suggest an increase in cruising in the coming
years. MedCrews, through the
(02:29):
Collective actions of our membership can be
instrumental for economic, environmental,
and socially sustainable growth for ports,
destinations and all stakeholders in the
Mediterranean and its adjoining seas. It
is in this environment and having the valuable experience
of serving as a board member in two
different consecutive terms. I believe
(02:51):
MedCruise could be the most influential cruise port
association in the world. So my
vision is that over the next years we will continue to
do what we've done so well. We will upgrade our
activities and achieve more together and in
short, to achieve sustainable cruise growth
together.
>> Holly Payne (03:09):
Well, I'm very excited Theodora, to
see how the association develops
under your leadership. So thank you for
that insight and you've told us
about some of your experience and in
particular your understanding of the larger
ports and also the smaller sized ports.
(03:29):
But tell us a little bit more about your role
at the Port of Thessaloniki.
>> Theodora Riga (03:35):
Well, my m. Role at the Port of Thessaloniki
includes leading public relations, corporate
social responsibility, sustainability
and environmental strategy and of course the
responsible development of crews at the port.
all this falls under the neat title of
Director of Strategic Communications of THP
(03:55):
ASA Port of Thessaloniki
and includes a tremendously inspired
team of professionals. Our purpose
is to protect and strengthen the Port
of Thessaloniki's image and reputation
with the mission of overseeing all
communications involving the port, including the
development and implementation of the
(04:17):
communication strategy and collaboration with all,
all stakeholders for the company's sustainability
strategy. Also a member of the Board of Directors
of Thessaloniki Tourism Organisation,
which is an associate member of Met Cruise and the
Hellenic Chamber of Shipping representative
on the Hellenic government's National Cruise
Committee.
>> Holly Payne (04:38):
Wow, that's wonderful. And
I personally had the pleasure of
visiting the Port of Thessaloniki a couple of
years ago and was really
impressed by the wonderful work that was going on. There were a
lot of developments at that time in terms of
infrastructure and enhancements being carried
out and I know that as a result,
(05:00):
subsequently there's been an increase in the number of
cruise calls since then.
So that's marvellous. So thank you
Theodora as well for that
insight, into your role there.
And you've been in the industry for some
time and this is something that you're
using, you're experienced, to bring to
(05:23):
Your role at MedCruise your new
role of president. But what
area of the industry in particular
are you really passionate about?
>> Theodora Riga (05:34):
Well, during this mandate I'd like to
focus on a number of items. All of these
fall under the realm of promoting sustainable
cruise growth in the Med and its adjoining seas,
upgrading relationships and networking with cruise
lines, improving the public image of
cruising, sharing best practises and
information, generating knowledge, addressing,
(05:57):
the regulatory challenges,
representing MedCruise in international
fora and shaping initiatives and
policies and of course also
whilst continuing the transformation of MedCruise
to a modern business association.
There's a lot to do and I'm really,
really excited.
>> Holly Payne (06:17):
That's very exciting to
hear. So this is
modernising and developing the
association even further. but
in particular, do you plan on continuing
the push towards greater,
sustainability?
>> Theodora Riga (06:34):
Very much so. This is one of the most
important aspects because if something is not
sustainable, it does not continue. And MedCruise and
Cruise in general is growing, but I
think it's more multidimensional
marketing activities and stakeholder engagement
that will be supported by data that
will be important. For example, upgrading
(06:56):
networking opportunities for ports,
destinations, associate members,
stakeholders, and upgrading of course, the
cooperation with clia, reaching dynamic
markets, promoting the med and source
markets. the destinations make such
a positive impact with cruise
activities, but we'd like to make this impact
(07:17):
more measurable and more well known. And
I'd like to work with those that can promote the
cruise industry but also reverse any negative
perceptions. Critics have something to say and I'd like to
address their perceptions with data
to explain to them what the actual
situation is. And of course, events
wise, we have a lot of great events planned as
(07:40):
well.
>> Holly Payne (07:40):
That's great to hear, Theodora. In particular
your talk there about bad publicity.
I think that there will be many people who really
appreciate that, what you're saying and the
effort to tackle that problem.
So, going back to your
past and your record
(08:01):
working within the cruise
industry, what led you to
pursue a career in this
field?
>> Theodora Riga (08:09):
Well, interestingly enough, it was perchance that I began
working in the shipping industry in the beginning, in
2005. I was interviewing, for a
position in the banking sector actually and had
received two offers, both from
CEOs. Meanwhile, one of the
CEOs called the contact that arranged
my interview to thank him for sending me to the
(08:30):
interview. It happened. This contact
was vacationing with a Greek shipping tycoon
who overheard and said, why are you sending amazing
candidates elsewhere? I'd like to meet this person
too. So we met and since I already had
two amazing options, I asked for the sky
in terms of my offer and he said
yes. So I got really, really, really
(08:52):
busy working and had amazing results in terms
of strategic communications, marketing, public
relations, commercial aspects, and even
changed some laws along the way. Then it
was in, 2017, I accepted an offer for a
position at the largest port in Greece,
encompassing all of my previous experience. And
it just felt great to finally be in an
(09:14):
organisation where all my previous colleagues and
competitors were now all partners and they needed me to
serve. the rest is just history.
>> Holly Payne (09:23):
That is really interesting,
Theodora. To hear you share
this with us is really
wonderful. So thank, thank you. You know,
it's been a really inspiring discussion
and I for one am really looking
forward to seeing what the future holds for the
association and seeing your
(09:45):
aspirations come to life during
the course of your mandate.
So thank you. It's been a pleasure, Theodora,
and best of luck in your Medcreus M
role.
Thank you thank you for listening to the Seatrade Trade Cruise
Podcast. Don't forget to head over to
(10:06):
www.seatrade
cruise.com to find out more
about podcasts and latest moves
and other events that may be coming up.
>> Theodora Riga (10:16):
Bye.
Hello, I'm Holly Payne and welcome to another
Seatrade Cruise podcast.
Joining me today is Theodora
Riga, Director of Strategic
Communications at the port of Thessaloniki, who
was appointed president of MedCruise in
September.
Welcome, Theodora.
>> Theodora Riga (00:22):
Thank you very much, Holly. Thank you and the entire
Seatrade team for reaching out for the first of what I
hope will be many podcasts amongst the trade
and MedCruise members.
>> Holly Payne (00:33):
Firstly, what motivated you to
run for President of MedCruise?
>> Theodora Riga (00:38):
Well, in my opinion,
leading, is serving. ever
since I can remember, I always love to
serve. I have served as a member of the board of
directors of MedCruise family representing
different Mediterranean cruise ports. In the last
three years I have represented the port of
Thessaloniki, a rising port. During this
(01:00):
period there has been a significant transformation
from port with less than 10 annual
calls before the pandemic to a port with
more than 80 calls. Therefore, I
know through experience the needs of smaller in
terms of traffic port members of the Metcruz
family. Before that I served
(01:20):
on the board of directors representing one of
the major ports in the Mediterranean and its adjoining
seas, the port of Piraeus. Therefore,
the needs of larger ports hosting over a million
passengers a year are also very
familiar. devoted and have the
professional experience to represent and serve the
interests of all MedCruise members
(01:43):
and promote our shared interests regardless of
size, region or country. And
really wanted to make this exceptional port
families positive impact more consequential
for each and all of our
159 port members and
59 associate members and honour our
association.
>> Holly Payne (02:03):
So what is your vision then Theodora, for
the future of the association?
>> Theodora Riga (02:08):
MedCruise will be 30 in
2026. Since its foundation in
1996, MedCruise association
has grown to be the largest port association
in the world with significant
achievements. All forecasts
suggest an increase in cruising in the coming
years. MedCrews, through the
(02:29):
Collective actions of our membership can be
instrumental for economic, environmental,
and socially sustainable growth for ports,
destinations and all stakeholders in the
Mediterranean and its adjoining seas. It
is in this environment and having the valuable experience
of serving as a board member in two
different consecutive terms. I believe
(02:51):
MedCruise could be the most influential cruise port
association in the world. So my
vision is that over the next years we will continue to
do what we've done so well. We will upgrade our
activities and achieve more together and in
short, to achieve sustainable cruise growth
together.
>> Holly Payne (03:09):
Well, I'm very excited Theodora, to
see how the association develops
under your leadership. So thank you for
that insight and you've told us
about some of your experience and in
particular your understanding of the larger
ports and also the smaller sized ports.
(03:29):
But tell us a little bit more about your role
at the Port of Thessaloniki.
>> Theodora Riga (03:35):
Well, my m. Role at the Port of Thessaloniki
includes leading public relations, corporate
social responsibility, sustainability
and environmental strategy and of course the
responsible development of crews at the port.
all this falls under the neat title of
Director of Strategic Communications of THP
(03:55):
ASA Port of Thessaloniki
and includes a tremendously inspired
team of professionals. Our purpose
is to protect and strengthen the Port
of Thessaloniki's image and reputation
with the mission of overseeing all
communications involving the port, including the
development and implementation of the
(04:17):
communication strategy and collaboration with all,
all stakeholders for the company's sustainability
strategy. Also a member of the Board of Directors
of Thessaloniki Tourism Organisation,
which is an associate member of Met Cruise and the
Hellenic Chamber of Shipping representative
on the Hellenic government's National Cruise
Committee.
>> Holly Payne (04:38):
Wow, that's wonderful. And
I personally had the pleasure of
visiting the Port of Thessaloniki a couple of
years ago and was really
impressed by the wonderful work that was going on. There were a
lot of developments at that time in terms of
infrastructure and enhancements being carried
out and I know that as a result,
(05:00):
subsequently there's been an increase in the number of
cruise calls since then.
So that's marvellous. So thank you
Theodora as well for that
insight, into your role there.
And you've been in the industry for some
time and this is something that you're
using, you're experienced, to bring to
(05:23):
Your role at MedCruise your new
role of president. But what
area of the industry in particular
are you really passionate about?
>> Theodora Riga (05:34):
Well, during this mandate I'd like to
focus on a number of items. All of these
fall under the realm of promoting sustainable
cruise growth in the Med and its adjoining seas,
upgrading relationships and networking with cruise
lines, improving the public image of
cruising, sharing best practises and
information, generating knowledge, addressing,
(05:57):
the regulatory challenges,
representing MedCruise in international
fora and shaping initiatives and
policies and of course also
whilst continuing the transformation of MedCruise
to a modern business association.
There's a lot to do and I'm really,
really excited.
>> Holly Payne (06:17):
That's very exciting to
hear. So this is
modernising and developing the
association even further. but
in particular, do you plan on continuing
the push towards greater,
sustainability?
>> Theodora Riga (06:34):
Very much so. This is one of the most
important aspects because if something is not
sustainable, it does not continue. And MedCruise and
Cruise in general is growing, but I
think it's more multidimensional
marketing activities and stakeholder engagement
that will be supported by data that
will be important. For example, upgrading
(06:56):
networking opportunities for ports,
destinations, associate members,
stakeholders, and upgrading of course, the
cooperation with clia, reaching dynamic
markets, promoting the med and source
markets. the destinations make such
a positive impact with cruise
activities, but we'd like to make this impact
(07:17):
more measurable and more well known. And
I'd like to work with those that can promote the
cruise industry but also reverse any negative
perceptions. Critics have something to say and I'd like to
address their perceptions with data
to explain to them what the actual
situation is. And of course, events
wise, we have a lot of great events planned as
(07:40):
well.
>> Holly Payne (07:40):
That's great to hear, Theodora. In particular
your talk there about bad publicity.
I think that there will be many people who really
appreciate that, what you're saying and the
effort to tackle that problem.
So, going back to your
past and your record
(08:01):
working within the cruise
industry, what led you to
pursue a career in this
field?
>> Theodora Riga (08:09):
Well, interestingly enough, it was perchance that I began
working in the shipping industry in the beginning, in
2005. I was interviewing, for a
position in the banking sector actually and had
received two offers, both from
CEOs. Meanwhile, one of the
CEOs called the contact that arranged
my interview to thank him for sending me to the
(08:30):
interview. It happened. This contact
was vacationing with a Greek shipping tycoon
who overheard and said, why are you sending amazing
candidates elsewhere? I'd like to meet this person
too. So we met and since I already had
two amazing options, I asked for the sky
in terms of my offer and he said
yes. So I got really, really, really
(08:52):
busy working and had amazing results in terms
of strategic communications, marketing, public
relations, commercial aspects, and even
changed some laws along the way. Then it
was in, 2017, I accepted an offer for a
position at the largest port in Greece,
encompassing all of my previous experience. And
it just felt great to finally be in an
(09:14):
organisation where all my previous colleagues and
competitors were now all partners and they needed me to
serve. the rest is just history.
>> Holly Payne (09:23):
That is really interesting,
Theodora. To hear you share
this with us is really
wonderful. So thank, thank you. You know,
it's been a really inspiring discussion
and I for one am really looking
forward to seeing what the future holds for the
association and seeing your
(09:45):
aspirations come to life during
the course of your mandate.
So thank you. It's been a pleasure, Theodora,
and best of luck in your Medcreus M
role.
Thank you thank you for listening to the Seatrade Trade Cruise
Podcast. Don't forget to head over to
(10:06):
www.seatrade
cruise.com to find out more
about podcasts and latest moves
and other events that may be coming up.
>> Theodora Riga (10:16):
Bye.
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