Greek Cruise Ports’ Performance Evaluation: A Multi-Criteria Decision Method (MCDM) Approach

Cruise tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the leisure industry and has become increasingly globalized over the years. In Greece, cruise tourism shows an upward trend. In 2022, 48 Greek ports were added to cruise lines’ itineraries. However, as competition between cruise ports intensifies each year, the pressure to improve their performance increases. This paper presents a performance evaluation method for Greek cruise ports. It combines the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), the entropy weighting method, and the Total Order Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method. Specifically, we use a case study involving four of the top Greek cruise ports—Santorini, Mykonos, Piraeus, and Corfu—to demonstrate the application of the method. Numerical results show that Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) methods are useful tools for addressing performance issues when multiple parameters with different levels of importance are involved. Moreover, combining the AHP with the entropy weighting method makes the results more realistic and reliable. The study’s findings suggest that, by using the evaluation criteria, port managers can allocate resources more effectively and focus on areas that yield the greatest impact on overall performance.