Greece 2022 Tourism Season Kicks Off With a Bang

Greek Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias.

Greece is ready to launch its tourism season and welcome millions of visitors with a carefully designed action plan in place, said Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias recently

The ministry’s strategy centers on seven key areas expected to increase not only the numbers of travelers to Greece but also the money they spend and the number of days they stay.

In brief, the factors expected to boost visitor numbers to Greece this year are:

– nine direct flights form the US to Athens through to October expected to handle more than 3,000 visitors every week

– over 3 million available air seats from France to Greece this year

– plans by leading leisure tour operator TUI Holidays to bring more than 3 million travelers to Greece this year

– agreements with Israel to bring more Israeli travelers to Greece during and beyond the summer months to also include the holiday season for the Jewish New Year

– Australia – with a large Diaspora Greek community – opens after two years of Covid-19 restrictions launching flights to Greece

– four direct flights from Canada to Greece expected to double in number during the peak summer season (June-August)

Greek Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias (right) in a recent discussion with Canada’s Ambassador to Greece Mark Allen.

– Greece reaches out for the first time in a decade to Spanish-speaking and Latin American countries through the reopening a Greek National tourism Organization (GNTO) branch office in Madrid, aimed promoting Greece to the Latin American market.

“Tourism is the steam engine of the Greek economy and contributes directly or indirectly 25 percent to GDP,” said Kikilias. At the same time, dozens of investments directly or indirectly concern the Greek tourism product. And many sectors, such as construction or the agri-food sector, are also linked to tourism, said Kikilias.

“To put it briefly, tourism concerns us all,” he added.