Françoise Gustin, Ambassador of Belgium to Greece

I look forward to discovering Greece and to contributing to the relationship between our countries

It is no wonder at all that Greece is such a successful touristic destination since it benefits a very pleasant climate, many beautiful places, a variety of landscapes, historical places, rich archaeology, and excellent food.

But Greece’s biggest asset is its population, the Greeks are very welcoming. Their professionalism and expertise in hospitality is deeply rooted and constitutes the best possible long term asset to make it possible to overcome a crisis like the recent one due to the Thomas Cook bankruptcy.

I want to seize this opportunity to thank the Minister of Tourism for his strong support and all the hotel managers and other persons who helped our citizens during this crisis.

According to the official figures published by the Bank of Greece, 587,000 Belgian tourists were registered in 2018, which was a spectacular increase compared to 2017 (+10%).

 

…Greece’s biggest asset is its population, the Greeks are very welcoming…

 

Françoise Gustin, Ambassador of Belgium to Greece

With more than 20 direct flights a week from Brussels/Charleroi, Athens and Thessaloniki are well connected and the latter has become a top city-break destination bringing also more tourists to the North of Greece.

Belgium as well has experienced a tourism boom in 2018. It may be a small country but it’s packed with interesting sights and provides a huge chunk of European heritage as well as excellent transportation.

UNESCO  sites in the capital, Brussels, range from 14th-century guildhalls surrounding the elegant Grand Place to the early 20th-century Art Nouveau townhouses of Victor Horta. Bruges, with its perfectly-preserved medieval streets rimming canals, lures flocks of travelers.

In case you are more into battlefields, the memorial towns (like Waterloo, Mons, Bastogne, Ieper, etc.)  where some of the biggest conflicts in European history took place are worth a detour.

Having just arrived in this wonderful country, I look forward to discovering Greece and to contributing to the relationship between our countries.

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