Vassilis Kikilias

Direct flights from the US are expected to bring more than 1 million travelers and well over 1 billion euros in revenue to Greece in the coming tourism season, Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias said on Friday in an interview with public broadcaster ERT.

"It is a dream come true," the president of the Greek Community of Melbourne, Vassilis Papastergiadis, said on Friday, welcoming an initiative by Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias to open a Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) office in Australia. 

Greece is ready to welcome back Chinese travelers after China's Covid-19 reopening, Greek Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias told Xinhua.

"We are ready to greet our Chinese friends, travelers and tourists, in this new tourist season," he said on Thursday.

The outbreak of the pandemic put the brakes on an impressive increase in Chinese arrivals in Greece in recent years.

Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias announced on Thursday that a Tourism Ministry bill to be tabled in Parliament soon foresees the opening of a Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) office in Melbourne, a strategic move that will significantly contribute to attracting tourists from Australia.

The 14 regional airports run by Fraport saw record arrivals figures in 2022, with domestic arrivals up 3.4% and international arrivals up 7.2% compared to the pre-pandemic period (2019).

The figures emerged after a meeting Tuesday between Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias and Fraport Greece CEO Alexander Zinell.

The first direct flight from the US for the 2023 season will be by Delta Airlines and will arrive at Athens International Airport on March 11, Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias told state broadcaster ERT on Saturday.

Kikilias explained that Delta stopped its direct flights to Athens as late as last week, signaling the extension of the tourism season into winter.

We open and start working from the middle of March, earlier than ever, is the slogan of the political leadership of the Ministry of Tourism for the new tourist season, which it estimates will be another strong year.

"With hard work and in a very difficult year with war in the heart of Europe, energy crisis and inflation, Athens made a dynamic comeback in tourism," emphasized the Minister of Tourism Vassilis Kikilias, stating that the income from tourism will be above the 18.2 billion garnered in 2019.

"It is obvious that Greece has exceeded all expectations in terms of its tourism product for 2022.

The arrivals of cruise ships in Greece will 25%  more compared to 2019, announced the Minister of Tourism Vassilis Kikilias from Genoa where he is participating in the European Summit of the International Association of Cruise Companies (CLIA).