Kountoura Invites US Firms to Invest in Greek Tourism

Greek Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura with John Catsimatidis Jr, Red Apple Group, GNTO Secretary General Kostas Tsegas and GNTO Director (US and Canada office) Greta Kamaterou.

Greece’s Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura recently held a series of meetings with representatives of major American companies and invited them to seize investment opportunities brought by the country’s fast-growing tourism industry.

The meetings were held in New York in late August and followed the minister’s visit to San Diego, California, where she was an official guest at the annual conference of the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA).

Kountoura’s agenda in New York included meetings with the chairman of the Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce and president of Atlantic Bank, Nancy Papaioannou and the executive of Red Apple Group, John Catsimatidis Jr..

The minister informed all parties that attracting investments to Greece is among the Greek government’s top priorities. She also referred to the significant increase in new tourism investments proposals and projects in Greece over the last two years, as well as to the growing interest American companies are showing in the country.

Kountoura also held a meeting with the managing director of Crystal Cruises, Eddie Rodriguez, and discussed the planning of cruise programs in Greek destinations in 2018 and 2019.

Greece this year is recording a large increase in arrivals from the United States this year, as well as a significant rise in bookings for 2018, according to Travel Leaders Group Vice President Peter Vlitas.

While discussing with Kountoura, Vlitas referred to the possibility of US arrivals exceeding two million a year in Greece.

He also applauded the successful agreement between the Greek Tourism Ministry and ASTA regarding the organization of the society’s annual Destination Expo conference in Athens in April 2018, which will see the participation of hundreds of American travel agents.