Thousands of Greeks Take Advantage of ‘Tourism for All’ Discount Vacation Program

A number of destinations in Greece this summer welcomed thousands of Greeks that took advantage of the Tourism Ministry’s holiday subsidy program “Tourism for All”.

Speaking to the Athens News Agency (ANA) recently, Greek Deputy Tourism Minister Sofia Zacharaki said that through the program the ministry looks to give domestic tourism a boost and Greeks the chance to travel to more or less known parts of the country.

“We persistently continue the effort to strengthen destinations by giving our fellow citizens the chance to get to know them and then repeat their visits in the future,” she said to ANA.

According to the Zacharaki, many Greeks used the vouchers of the ministry’s “Tourism for All” program, which offered either discounted accommodation for up to four days or, alternatively, tourist services through travel agencies.

By September 2, 47,170 vouchers, corresponding to 99,950 beneficiaries, were redeemed. Meanwhile for all of 2020 only 23,840 vouchers, corresponding to 46,945 beneficiaries, were used.

The “Tourism for All” program was extended for the whole of 2021. It included 631 new accommodation options and 41 travel agencies as providers, covering of 2-, 3- or 4-day stays of the Greek travelers. Discounted holidays were also available for persons with disabilities. The program also expanded to a number of new beneficiaries, offering 70,852 new vouchers to 128,351 new beneficiaries of the program.

Zacharaki told ANA that the significantly improved performance of domestic tourism this season is mainly due to the general appetite for trips that was recorded following a long period of restrictions on travel due to the pandemic.

She added that appealing improvements made to the program – such as the addition of more accommodation options for travelers to choose from – had also attracted more Greeks to travel.