Greece’s GNTO Joins Mastercard’s Tourism Innovation Hub

From the left: Mastercard Senior Vice President, Public Sector APEMEA, Solveig Hatton and GNTO Secretary General Dimitris Fragakis. Photo source: GNTO

As part of ongoing efforts to accelerate Greece’s transition to a more sustainable tourism model and towards a digital economy, the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) announced at ITB Berlin 2024 this week that it had further strengthened its collaboration with Mastercard.

GNTO Secretary General Dimitris Fragakis and Mastercard Senior Vice President, Public Sector APEMEA, Solveig Hatton reached the agreement which foresees Greece’s participation in the Mastercard Tourism Innovation Hub, an initiative that aims to develop and transform the global tourism industry.

The move comes after previous partnerships with Mastercard and latest at WTM London last year.

“With the GNTO’s participation in Mastercard’s Tourism Innovation Hub, we are taking a decisive step to strengthen innovation in the Greek tourism sector,” said Fragakis, adding that the Mastercard network includes major global destinations and offers Greece a strong advantage in the international environment which is to the benefit of local tourism stakeholders.

Mastercard Senior Vice President, Public Sector APEMEA, Solveig Hatton and GNTO Secretary General Dimitris Fragakis (middle). Photo source: GNTO

Launched in Spain in 2022, Mastercard’s Tourism Innovation Hub facilitates collaboration and innovation across the private and public sector through partnerships, technologies, data and expertise to create a more inclusive and sustainable tourism sector to meet the needs of all stakeholders – governments, small businesses, local communities and travelers.

Commenting after the signing of the agreement, Hatton underlined the importance of partnerships between private and public sectors, which she said are “essential to driving innovation”.

“We are delighted to welcome the GNTO as a member of the Tourism Innovation Hub and look forward to leveraging our technological excellence and Mastercard’s data insights to support the GNTO’s work to shape a more sustainable and inclusive tourism industry,” said Hatton.