Navigate through the Cruise Industry Conference

Lazaros has joined DP World Limassol in 2016. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Marketing and Communications, and a Master of Science in International Transportation Management. Further, he is a member of the Institute of Charter Shipbrokers (ICS). Before joining DP World Limassol, Lazaros has worked in the logistics and shipping sectors for over 15 years in the areas of corporate customer care, vessel operations and lately as Commercial Manager.

Captain Paris Dimitriou graduated from the Merchant Marine Academy of Preveza. His onboard experience exceeds 17 years, on different type of ships. He has received Captain Class A unlimited / Master Mariner qualifications from the Merchant Marine Education Centre in Greece in 2015 and has extensive representation in different professional shipping bodies. For many years he was the founder and president of the Cyprus Merchant Marine Officer Association. From 2017 until 2021, he was initially the Marine Superintendent and then the Marine Manager at a shipping company. Currently he is Larnaca Port’s General Manager under Kition Ocean Port, a company subsidiary of Kition Ocean Holdings.

Maria Deligianni is National Director, Eastern Mediterranean at Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the world’s largest cruise industry trade association representing 95% of the cruise sector, headquartered in Washington DC. Maria joined CLIA in March 2018 and is based in Athens. In her role, she is responsible for handling government and public affairs issues in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Maria has been working in the shipping industry since 2012. Prior to joining CLIA, she served as a Senior Advocacy and Policy Advisor at the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) in Brussels focusing on maritime safety, environmental and offshore shipping issues. She also worked at the European Commission, in the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) in Brussels. In addition, she worked for SQE Marine Group in Piraeus and PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC Greece) in Athens. She holds an executive Master’s degree in Maritime Science with distinction from the University of Ghent in Belgium. She also has a Master’s degree in International and European Studies from the University of Piraeus and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Public Administration from the University of Athens. She graduated from Arsakeion Psychiko in 2005. From a young age, Maria was involved in educational simulations of the European Institutions and the United Nations in several universities including Harvard University.

Katia Demetriou was born in Limassol. She studied Tourism at the Klessheim Tourism College in Salzburg. She worked at various hotels in Cyprus and since 1989 she works for the Cyprus Tourism Organisation which was transformed into a Deputy Ministry of Tourism in 2018. In 1990 she became a tourist guide and in 1999-2000 she completed the “Train the Trainer” program of the International Federation of Tourist Guides Associations acquiring the title of Accredited Trainer. She has a BSc/Ba in Greek Civilization and an MSc in International Tourism and Hospitality Management. She is currently studying for a second master’s degree in Political History.

The Deputy Ministry of Tourism constitutes a transformation of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation (CTO) and was established and operates in accordance with the provisions of the Law providing for the Establishing of a Deputy Ministry of Tourism, the Appointment of a Deputy Minister of Tourism to the President and for relevant matters of 2018. According to the Law, the objective of setting up the Deputy Ministry of Tourism is to establish a strategic and supervisory authority with powers to develop a national strategy for tourism, promotion and projection of Cyprus as a tourist destination, as well as implementation of tourism legislation.