Greece will be Open All Year Round for Tourists, Minister Kikilias Tells CNN

Greek Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias recently told British journalist Richard Quest that Greece in 2022 will be open all year round to welcome tourists.

Speaking on CNN’s show “Quest Means Business”, on the sidelines of the recent WTM London expo, the tourism minister underlined that – considering that nothing radical occurs due to the pandemic – 2022 will be a very good year for Greek tourism.

“This will not happen randomly,” he said, adding that Greece has fought for the tourism industry and is winning over travelers, offering new tourist experiences and putting the spotlight on new destinations, small and large islands, the mainland and citybreaks.

“We’re there for everyone,” he said.

When asked on how Greece will prevent overtourism in popular destinations, Kikilias said that the government will allocate 320 million euros from European Recovery funds to strengthen the country’s infrastructure and even invest in new where needed.

However, he added that there is “no problem” with volume since Greece has so many beautiful places, from the North to the South, to introduce to tourists.

“It doesn’t always have to be to the two or three branded places where people found out about in the 50s and the 60s,” he said, adding that Greece has many destinations to welcome visitors from all over, including the UK, the US and France.

During WTM London, Minister Kikilias met with tour operators, travel agents and airline companies and sealed a number of new deals for 2022.

Although Greece is open all year round for visitors, the country’s official tourism season will begin between March and April.