Greece – Kuwait Explore Restoring Tourism Cooperation

Photo source: Tourism Ministry.

Kuwait will continue to run flights to Greece through winter, said the Ambassador of Kuwait to Greece Mansour Saad Alolaimi during his meeting this week with Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni.

Saad Alolaimi underlined the importance of direct connectivity between Athens and Kuwait, confirming that the country’s national carrier would continue its direct route in the winter months regardless of capacity.

The two countries also agreed to take a 2014 agreement for cooperation in tourism a step further and to explore the possibilities of resuming bilateral cooperation, which was interrupted by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, and to promote synergies in targeted fields of common interest, including culture, culinary and luxury tourism.

(L-R) Ambassador of Kuwait to Greece Mansour Saad Alolaimi with Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni. Photo source: Tourism Ministry.

During the meeting, Kefalogianni expressed the country’s interest in further strengthening bilateral cooperation with Kuwait, and extended an open invitation to her Kuwaiti counterpart to visit Greece.

Among other issues, Kefalogianni presented the ambassador with key points of the ministry’s tourism strategy which include extending the season, shifting to sustainable tourism practices, and showcasing lesser-known destinations which offer more authentic travel experiences. She went on to add that Greece was also developing alternative forms of tourism as part of its strategy to attract a wide range of visitors.

Earlier this year, Kuwait Airways carried out its first direct flight connecting the city of Kuwait with Mykonos. In February, Greece’s national carrier AEGEAN also launched its first direct flight from Athens to Kuwait. Before the outbreak of Covid-19, applications for tourist visas to Greece submitted to the Greek Embassy in Kuwait in 2017 were up by 60 percent.