ITB 2018: Greece Sees 30% Rise in Early Bookings from German Market

“German tourists love us, our story, our culture and what Greece has to offer. They are loyal and repeat visitors. They are constantly growing and we are among their first holiday destination preferences.” – Greek Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura

Early holiday bookings to Greece for the 2018 season are up 25 to 30 percent from the German market, compared to 2017, Greek Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura said on the first day of the ITB Berlin 2018 trade show on Wednesday.

Speaking to GTP Headlines on the sidelines of the exhibition, Minister Kountoura said that some tour operators are even seeing early bookings for Greece rising over 30 percent this year.

Greek Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura.

“Germany is following Greek tourism’s growth trend of the last three years, which showed records in both arrivals and revenue… This year started very well from all our traditional markets – we are first or second in their travel preferences – and this can also be confirmed here at ITB, which is a leading tourism exhibition… I think that Greece is now a world leader in global preferences,” she said.

More flights to Greece

Moreover, the minister said that more airline companies are including additional flights to Greece in their schedules this year. “This is extremely important as in 2017 we had more than 2,000 additional flights added for Greece and this year we are seeing a 10 percent rise,” she said.

While in Berlin, Minister Kountoura will attend scheduled meetings with Germany’s major tour operators, airline companies, journalists and Greek media correspondents.