Greece Planning Actions to Strengthen Tourism Ties with China

Photo source: @Vkikilias

Greek Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias on Thursday said Greece will aim to boost its bilateral tourism relations with China and promote actions to introduce new destinations throughout the country to Chinese visitors and thus extend the season.

Speaking during the inauguration event of the Greece – China Year of Culture and Tourism, held at the Ancient Agora site in Athens, Kikilias referred to the ministry’s plans to launch a series of actions to raise awareness on the tourism product of both countries, with a special focus on the fields of cultural, culinary and film tourism.

Announced last November, the Greece-China Year of Culture and Tourism includes a series of events aimed at strengthening ties between the two countries and expanding collaboration in the two fields.

“Tourism and culture are a privileged field of cooperation and strengthening of relations between peoples and cultures, especially between those with a long history between them,” the minister said.

Kikilias focused on the goals of the Greece – China Year of Culture and Tourism, which include the strengthening of the traditionally close relations between the two countries and the expansion of their cooperation through cultural and tourism events in collaboration with the Greek Culture Ministry and the Embassy of Greece in Beijing.

“At the Tourism Ministry we seek to strengthen bilateral tourism cooperation with China, as well as to promote actions and policies that upgrade our offered tourism product, thus contributing to the extension of the tourist season through the development of special forms of tourism (cultural tourism, wedding tourism, health and wellness tourism, film tourism, etc.) and introducing new places and points of interest throughout Greece to visitors from China,” he said.

Photo source: @Vkikilias

According to the minister, the Greece – China Year of Culture and Tourism is an opportunity to further strengthen and deepen relations between the regions and provinces of the two countries, as well as their travel and tourism associations, but also to introduce a wide portfolio of tourism products held by the two major markets for global tourism to the travel community.

Kikilias added that issues concerning the improvement of the quality and innovation of the offered product and the strengthening of the possibilities of sustainable tourism management by tourism agencies will also be in the forefront.

Moreover, he said that the ongoing dialogue between the two countries can contribute to restoring tourism activity and travel flows.

“I wish for the Greece – China Year of Culture and Tourism to be a tool for coordination and enrichment of these efforts, beneficial for tourism in Europe and Asia,” he said.