Minister: Athens – Attica Top Global Destinations Thanks to Quality Hospitality Services

Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni speaking during the 53rd Athens – Attica & Argosaronic Hotel Association general assembly.

The international perception of Athens and Attica as leading tourist destinations demonstrates the successful cooperation between government agencies, local governments and tourism stakeholders, said Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni during the 53^rd Athens – Attica & Argosaronic Hotel Association general assembly on Thursday.

Kefalogianni went on to add that the high quality of hospitality services offered was one of the reasons Athens and Attica continue to be favorite holiday choices for international travelers.

Meanwhile, Athens was again named as the World’s Leading Cultural City Destination for 2023 during the annual World Travel Awards (WTA) held recently in Dubai.

Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni.

The minister attributed the positive performance to the effective utilization of ministry resources, a growing investor interest in the Athens and Attica hospitality markets where dozens of new hotels are opening their doors and to the new regulatory framework covering short-term rentals, which she said, would soon also include minimum operational and technical standards.

Kefalogianni added that despite the ongoing global challenges and crises, the Greek tourism sector has managed to remain resilient. This, she said, was reflected in performance forecasts for 2023. Sector experts are forecasting that 2023 will end in record tourist arrivals and revenues paving the way for an even stronger year in 2024. They expect tourism revenues to exceed 20 billion euros up from 18.2 billion euros in pre-Covid 2019.

Greek Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni (center) with Athens-Attica and Argosaronic Hotel Association’s secretary general, Evgenios Vassilikos and president, Lambrini Karanasiou-Zoulovits.

To maintain the momentum, Kefalogianni said, the ministry was laying the groundwork for a more sustainable future based on balance and focusing on the protection of the country’s natural environment and cultural legacy.