Greek Tourism Minister Wraps Up Paris Visit, Optimistic About French Market

Greek Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias (second from right) and Greek National Tourism Organization Secretary General Dimitris Fragakis (second from left) with representatives of Air France at the Greek stand at the IFTM Top Resa expo in Paris.

Greek Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias on Thursday wrapped up his two-day visit to Paris during which he made many important contacts at the IFTM Top Resa international tourism trade show.

According to an announcement by the Tourism Ministry, the contacts are expected to bring “significant benefits” to Greek tourism.

During his visit, the minister met with his French counterpart Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne and other industry stakeholders. High on the agenda were discussions aimed to further increase the number of French visitors to Greece for the next tourist season and attract families during France’s school holiday break period in the winter. In all his meetings, Minister Kikilias was accompanied by Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) Secretary General Dimitris Fragakis.

Greek Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias in conversation with Croatia’s tourism minister, Nikolina Brnjac, at the Greek stand during the IFTM Top Resa expo.

A major highlight of the minister’s Paris visit was the agreement made with Transavia for a 50 percent increase in the number of available seats compared to 2019 for the next season and the addition of Skiathos as a new destination of the airline.

Kikilias also met with senior executives of Air France; ATOUT France, which is the official national tourism development agency of France; and representatives of major players in the French tourism market including Heliades, Entreprise du Voyage, NG Travel, Last Minute, Very Chic, Seto, Voyage Prive, Thalasso No 1, Kuoni, Opodo and Karavel / Fram.