Greece by the end of this year expects to have welcomed more than 5.2 million cruise passengers, a year-on-year increase of some 10 percent, the Tourism Ministry said on Thursday.

The Greek port of Piraeus has seen its homeporting cruise traffic rise by 14 percent in the first half of the year thanks in large part to major cruise companies like Celestyal Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Princess Cruises, Cunard Line, Costa Cruises and Seabourn Cruise Line using the port as a turnaround point.